Flash Floods and Other Stuff

“But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions,  – Matthew 11:16

Texas is really big.  Once when I was living in Alabama, I was given driving directions to a location where I was to teach a workshop.  They weren’t very good and I ended up in Georgia.  When I realized my mistake (4 miles in at exit 4), I turned it around and headed back to Alabama.  I jokingly told my class, “I’m from Texas, we never ‘accidentally’ leave the state.”   Really, why would anyone leave Texas unless you were going skiing or something (something you can’t do here). Today I traveled out to West Texas to see my sister.  While we live in what is called “Central Texas” and my sister lives in West Texas (a good 5 hour trip that we all make surprisingly often), the climates is quiet different.  You know how some TV shows depict Texas as a desert?  That’s more West Texas but Central Texas is weird….it’s humid, it may be vegitatively dried out but the climate will still be humid…in other words, we may have a burn band in effect but you are still going to drip sweat when you step outside.

The thing about West Texas is, the ground is rocky; like cement.  So when it pours rain, torrential rain, the water has no where to go and the streets very quickly begin to flood; very quickly.

When I lived in Alabama, I live near the coast.  We had what I always referred to as “hurricane rain”.  It was crazy huge, hard rain; pelting rain.  I once asked my friend, Angela if it ever “drizzles” and she asked me “What is drizzle?”  Never mind, you would know drizzle if it ever drizzled….just a slow dripping rain.

People in Austin freak out when it rains.  They drive like they are in a blizzard.  People in Alabama drive like bats out of hell, no matter what the weather is doing…I’m pretty sure the people living in San Angelo are actually from Alabama.  They were practically running me off the road.

Granted, I was driving my husbands vehicle (to save on gas) rather than the Ford Expedition I usually drive.  I missed her so much today.  I never worry about crashing in my tank…we would all be fine…the  Toyota that hits us will probably be totaled but we would be fine.   Most of the people flying by me were in big ole trucks.

I was white knuckled, gripping the steering wheel and trying to see three feet in front of me and avoid the rushing water on the roads to some extent.  Meanwhile in the back seat The Boy was so excited about the huge (pronounced uuuge) splashes we are making going through the water.  He was so unaware of the danger.

That’s the thing about flash floods…they are very dangerous.  If you aren’t from around here you might not know it.  Flowing water is very powerful and it is very difficult to tell how deep water is until you actually drive into it.  The Texas Department of Transportation has had whole campaigns to encourage people to turn around rather than trying to cross at low water crossings.  Every year, we hear about someone getting their vehicle stuck and having to be rescued or worse the vehicle being pushed off the road by the water or a someone exiting a stuck vehicle only to get washed away.  Don’t be a hero…just turn around.

I was LITERALLY praying as I drove and at one point pulled off the road.  The Boy wasn’t afraid at all….he didn’t know the danger or the importance of the situation and possibly more importantly, he trusted me.  He trusted that I was going to get him to “Aunt Jenny’s house”.  He trusted we would arrive safely.  For a split second I thought, “I wish I had that much faith.”  Then I told myself…I DO have that much faith.  I stopped gripping the steering wheel (although I did continue to tell the kids to stop yelling in the close quarters of the very loud vehicle).  I know we were in God’s hands.  I know His protection is upon us.  I think of Psalm 91 and the faith of a child.

Also during our long drive, we discussed some different scriptures we have been working on remembering.  I often quote, “Do not be wise in your own eyes;Fear the Lord and depart from evil.” (Proverbs 3:7)  Although we say, “flee from evil” and then I remind him that it means “run away from evil”.  Anyway, he told me, “I am going to tell Aunt Jenny, ‘Fear the Lord and flee from evil’.”  I had to remind him about the first part of the scripture.  He also knows, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)…every time he says something is scary or that he is afraid, we quote it.  Our next scripture is going to be Philippians 2:14 “Do all things without complaining or disputing”….because complaining has become a real problem.

We made it here.  My sisters house renovation is shaping up beautifully.  I love and older house…they always have character.  I would have loved to have purchased and renovated but I don’t have the skills and my sister isn’t going to let her husband come live with us to renovate our house.  Maybe in a few years when we are really, really rich..after the Hubs writes and records that hit song or I write some brilliant book.

Keep the faith.  With God, all things are possible. Praying that it doesn’t rain on the trip home….

Line in the Cement

Who hasn’t heard the term “line in the sand”?  According to tradition (not actual history) William B Travis established the idea of drawing a line in the dirt (there isn’t sand at the Alamo) and he challenged those under his command to cross the line if they were willing to stay and defend the Alamo.  (For all my non-Texan friends, I had to tell the story).  By the way, this story is more legend than history (no one survived the Alamo to tell the story).  However, in Texas, it is taught to school children like the gospel truth.  Later, George Bush (the first one) used it the phrase “line in the sand”  in a speech before the first Gulf War (for specifics of the history, click here).

I’ve never really liked the term “line in the sand”; it’s too mobile.  A line in the sand can be moved.   I’d like to draw a line in the cement, let the cement dry and then make my speech.

People tend to do just that, draw their line in the sand.   “This is the line, I will not cross”  and then when that line becomes a challenge, they simply erase it and draw a less challenging line.

There are some things in our lives that we must stand firm on.  We must decide what our line is and take the step to write it in cement.

I’ll give you an example.  I’m not saying it has NEVER, EVER happened but  I don’t talk badly about my husband and I am not very tolerant of people who do.  He’s the Hubs and I wouldn’t trade him for anyone else.  I didn’t just one day decide this.  This started many years ago when I was single before I ever met him.  I was never one hang out with the man-haters. You know someone came to mind when you heard the term.  When I was single there was always that group of girls who just sat around saying how stupid guys were or dogging them for one reason or another. Usually because they didn’t have a “man”.   It makes my stomach turn a little.  That was my line in the cement.  I wasn’t going to be friends with women who did that…I’m still not.

We all have things  in our lives that we need to “draw a line in the cement” about.  Things like, gossip, complaining, what you watch, what you wear, where you go…

I Corinthians 10:23 says it like this “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.”

There are some things that God’s Word allows me to do that aren’t good for me personally.  Or there are some things that aren’t spelled out in the Bible (or are they?) that aren’t edifying.

Okay, here’s a rant that I have…mini skirts.  My belief is if you are over 9 years old, you should not wear a skirt so short that it requires you to wear shorts under it to be modest.  Honestly, do you think someone looking up your skirt says, “Oh darn, I couldn’t see her panties because of those bike shorts.”).  I really don’t see the point in mini-skirts except to attract male atention.  You will attract men and without hesitation I will say the WRONG men.  Not because men who look at women who wear mini-skirts are “bad” men (NEWS FLASH…ALL MEN, young and old, married and single are LOOKING at you for all the wrong reasons).  I do think the Bible spells out guidelines for modesty and NO I’m not Amish or Minonite  (sorry, I’ve been watching TLC again…they have a new show about Amish young people who go to New York on sabbatical).  To all my “single” readers, if you are looking to get married, look for something beyond “looks”.  Just remember, looks change, weight changes and if someone marries you based on looks then that will be the reason they divorce you later.  Good luck with that.    Wow, I’m kind of on a roll today.

Next time you have a decision to make, draw your line in cement not sand and let your “yeses” be “yes” and your “nos” be “no”.

Blessings to you all.

PS.  For those of you keeping track, this blog is less than 75 hits away from hitting the 100,000 mark.

 

Momlog 2012; World Travelers

So we aren’t exactly world travelers although we have covered many miles in the past few days.  Our plan was to head out to West Texas on Friday evening and then on to far West Texas also known as “Super Mexico” (to me – because it is just like Mexico except some people speak English and they have Target, Starbucks and Kohl’s…it is like Mexico only a little better) aka, El Paso, Texas.   We ended up only traveling south to my parents house (5 miles to be exact) because we had some trouble with our truck just as we were heading out of town.  It is far better that we experienced these issues before we got out on the back roads of Texas.  We actually stayed the night at my parent’s house rather than drive “all the way home”.  It was fun.  Our boy never gets to spend the night at Nana’s house because when you foster, the children must stay with you or someone who has been licensed to foster or provide respite care.  He thought it was the best thing ever to stay over at Nana’s house.

Did I tell y’all we are starting the adoption process?  Once we have officially adopted him, I will post a picture, we will have a party to celebrate, I will sign him up for child modeling (kidding..sort of) and we will get him a puppy (he LOVES animals…reminds me of my mom…my mom has a house full of animals and I’m sure if they lived in the country she would have horses and cows. ).

Since our truck was acting up, my dad lent us his new truck.  One reason I know I am a Texas girl deep in my heart is because I love driving a truck.  We need to purchase a new vehicle because both of our current vehicles are paid off…I mean, they are “older”  (over 100K miles on each…I think our Volkswagen – the one I bought years ago when I was single has almost 200K on it).  Every time we talk about buying another vehicle, I tell The Hubs I want another Expedition or maybe an Excursion.  And those are NOT very fuel efficient…period.   But I love the room, I love the ride and I love “owning the road”. We have enjoyed driving my dad’s truck.  The kiddos are all packed in tight in the back seat in their seats.

Today we drove through the border check at Sierra Blanca with no issue.  They asked us if we were citizens and if the boy was American and we said “yes” and they let us pass.  We have had a few negative experiences while traveling our great state.   On our first trip to El Paso, when we were dating, we were stopped for speeding….in the small town of Van Horn.  Let’s just say, Van Horn probably makes most of it’s yearly budget for the police department on people traveling I-10.  The state finally changed the speed limit out in these desert areas to 80mph but at that time, I think it was still 70.  They asked the Hubs to step out of the car and one of the officers came to my side of the car to ask if I was “okay”.  That was code for, “Did this Mexican kidnap you?”  White girl with a Hispanic male driving in West Texas at night…could be shady.  In central Texas (the liberal part of the state), where I grew up it is no big deal for “interracial” couples to marry…I never really considered us “interracial” because my family comes from many different cultural backgrounds (German, Czech, American Indian…to name a few) and the Hubs family is Spanish, Mexican, German and American Indian but to other people I guess we are a montly crew.  Even more so when we are with the in-laws.  My mother-in-law who is Mexican (she was born in Mexico) looks like she could be my mom, she is very white (as are most of her brothers and sisters…although her mom does have a distinct “American Indian” look to her), my father-in-law is Hispanic and German (His mom was German, His dad was Hispanic ),  The Hubs who considers himself Hispanic (he defines this to me as someone who is an American citizen but has Latin or Mexican roots.), my young brother-in-law who looks like he’s half Hispanic and half Caucasian and  me (white girl) and the boy (who is the whitest kid ever) and the twins (who look like they could be our biological children).  When we are out and about, we get some looks.  Although my Spanish is limited, people say things.

The long and short, we had a great time visiting the family.  We went to a great church on Sunday with the family, then we all went out to eat at Rudy’s BBQ to celebrate John’s 18th birthday.

We gained at least 10 lbs between the two of us (me and the Hubs).  My mother-in-law made homemade flautas, beans, rice, chili reanos, and medudo (which I do not eat….I don’t like tripe).  Not to mention my deep love for Mexican pastries…

Here’s what you need to know.  This was suppose to be a vacation.  Have you ever traveled with kids?  Babies especially?  Here’s why we have to have a truck to travel:

• Double Stroller
• Suitcase for Babies
• Suitcase for the Boy
• Suitcase for us
• DVD player
• movies
• diaper bag
• formula and bottle bag
• snacks
• Pack and Play for babies
• computer

Basically, I have spent the past 3 days packing, carrying, unpacking, repacking, double checking and asking the Hubs to bring me things….not to mention running to the store to buy more diapers and pacifiers (because apparently we cannot keep up with 3 pacifiers)… am exhausted.  Did I say, feeding…all I do is make sure people get fed.  The boy doesn’t seem to want to eat anything these days.  I find myself trying to figure out how many different ways I can say “eat” before he actually EATS.   I need a vacation (that includes a massage) from my vacation.

We aren’t exactly world travelers except that traveling across Texas feels like the world.  If we had gone the other direction and headed east on I-10, we would have ended up in Florida in the same amount of time and distances as it took us to get to El Paso.  As I say every time we visit, they really should require a passport to come over here.

Decision Points

I’ve been reading Decision Points by George W. Bush (or as we call him at our house “W” which for you non-Texas is pronounced “Dubya”).  I will admit, I’ve had a “secret” crush on him for years and years.  (I question what that says about me).  For years, I worked for the State of Texas first at Texas Department of Transportation then at Department of Human Services and finally at the Texas Water Development Board.  When George W. Bush was the governor, and someone asked me where I worked I would answer, “George Bush is my boss”.  (I know and I’ve been told for someone who is actually a very deep person, I am goofy sometimes.)

I am very much enjoying reading his book about the major decisions he’s made in his life. Much of the book, so far, takes place in West Texas a place I am very familiar with as that is where I met The Hubs.  Each chapter tells his story of some decision he made in his life.  For example, the first chapter is called “Quitting” about his drinking problem and how he quit.

Here are a few good quotes from the beginning of the book.

(Bush tells about a Bible Study He attended in Midland) “What is a prophet?” (the Bible study leader asked) I answered, “That’s when revenue exceeds expenses.  No one has seen one around here since Elijah.”      (This was corny but I laughed – out loud).

“If you haven’t doubted, you probably haven’t thought very hard about what you believe”

“Prayer was the nourishment that sustained me.”

“I could not have quit drinking without faith.  I also don’t think my faith would be as strong if I hadn’t quit drinking.”

“I did know that I felt a calling to run.  I was concerned about the future of the country, and I had a clear vision of where to lead it.”

(about working on his dad’s presidential campaign) “I had no title.  As Dad put it, I already had a good one: son.”

“Proximity to power is empowerment.  Having Dad’s ear made me effective.”

(On running for governor after George H.W. Bush lost the presidential election)  “I could lay out my policies without having to defend his.”

I am sure I will have some more.  Former President Bush is a fun read.  He has actually led a very impressive life from working on oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico to attending Harvard Business School.  I am hoping to read some interesting stories about “Conde”  (she is definitely one of my heroes).

What’s with the Post Office?

Remember that episode of Seinfeld when Kramer tries to cancel his mail?  Should I be afraid to post a blog about the post office?  Maybe.  I don’t want to be kidnapped and forced to talk to the postmaster….I hear the have their own “security” force.

So here’s the backstory.  I visited my sister this past weekend and she asked me to bring two capes back with her for my niece and nephew.   My other sister, had asked me to bring the capes.  Naturally, I wanted to be sure to do this so everyone would be happy and they wouldn’t have to talk about me behind my back later.   On the first day I arrived, my sister asked where she could put them and I told her a bag that I had from Cowgirls and Lace (one of my “stops” on the way out to see her).  She put the capes in the bag and we forgot about it.  When I was leaving, I had so many things to pack in the car and I thought, “I cannot forget those capes”.  There were two capes hanging in a bag in Jen’s front room so I grabbed them. 

When I finally got home, the hubs unpacked the truck and brought the capes inside (I would have left them in the truck since they were going to my sister).  I noticed the capes had different monogrammed letters on the back than my niece and nephews initials.  I grabbed two capes my sister had made for someone else.  I sent her a comment on Facebook telling her she was going to kill me.  She called me.  It turns out the capes are for our friend Jessica’s triplets and my punishment for grabbing them is that i had to mail them to Jessica in Humble.  Thus, my trip to the post office. 

Since I had to drive north to drop Nic-nac off to play, I decided to go to the post office in Buda.  There is a quilting shop that I wanted to visit downtown.  I get to the Buda post office and it is closed. Not like inclement weather closed like they closed down.  

I went ahead to the quilting shop which is fabulous….they easily stock over 3000 bolts of fabric.  I bought one fabric to finish off a cape for one of the girls in our Sunday school class and another piece for a burp cloth for a friend who is having a baby. 

So back to the post office story.  I head to the post office in Kyle which is completely out of my way.  When I get out of the truck, I notice, only two capes.  I mentioned our friend has triplets.  I was soooo afraid that I lost a cape somewhere between my sister’s living room and the post office.  Quick phone call to my sister…she is still working on cape #3.  Big sigh of relief.  There were three people waiting in line inside the post office.  I needed a priority mailer which is unreachable unless you are one of the two people at the front of the line.  I had to ask someone “excuse me” in order to reach one.  I walked to the counter only to realize I had not grabbed a label.  Why can’t we just write the address on the box?  Why do we need special labels?  Another customer handed me a label.  Honestly, all they would have to do is turn a fixture around and the supplies would be available to more people.  They want you have your package ready when you get to the front of the line and there is no work room after the fixture.  While I am writing out the address and affixing the label three guys go in front of me.  Another guy comes in and I tell him he can go ahead.  He was nice, he said, “Are you almost finished?” I said “Yes” so he said he could wait.  The other three guys weren’t so nice about it.  When I get back in line there are 5 people in front of me because of course, in our nice sized post office, with 4 or 5 registers there is ONLY ONE EMPLOYEE WORKING!  (Makes me want to say F.O.N. – my brother-in-law, John’s saying Freaks of Nature).  Finally, another employee comes out and says, “Is anyone picking up a package” (as if she cannot help anyone sending a package).  The nice guy who let me stay in front of him in line was moved to the front of the line (good for him).

Meanwhile, a woman I know (friend of a friend deal) came in.   I recognized her but I not am losing my place in line.  Plus, every time I’ve seen or met her, it seems like she really does NOT like me.  Of course, I think she is an F.O.N. because I am extremely likable.  And she hasn’t had enough interaction with me NOT to like me. I tried to make eye contact to say “Hi” but she avoided me.  Once the guy behind me got his package, she had to move up in the line (only one person between us) and she sort of had to say “Hi” or appear very rude.  She said “Hi” and faked smiled me.  That made me laugh (seriously, I laughed out loud – I was thinking, “Well, don’t be happy about having to say ‘Hi’.”)  It was weirdly funny. 

Back to the post office…does anyone know where they moved the post office in Buda?  Or did they just close it?  Are they working on closing the one in Kyle because right now there are only two people working there.

They could resolve a lot of issues by putting one of those postage machines in the lobby.  Two men in the line were simply purchasing postage.  Seriously.

Texas, Oh Texas

Texas, how I love you but you have deceived me.  Your pleasant sun shining weekend made me believe spring was on the way.  Crisp 71 degrees was even a little warm.  I thought about packing away my boots and looking for my flip-flops.  

But today, the wind was blowing and old man winter finally showed up for real.  17 degrees tonight.  That is Illinois cold. 

Please bring back our nice gulf breeze.  How I long for the humidity of summer…sigh.

How I wish I would have gone to the grocery store yesterday for I long to make soup and sit  in front of my fireplace but I have duralog (that’s what we city folks burn in our fireplaces if we don’t have gas).

Maybe the hubs will stop by the store for me….if Iwish hard enough and ask sweetly enough and promise to cook dinner.  Maybe I’ll just tell him we are out of toilet paper…which is almost true (it will be true in a another day).

What was that website my sister told me about that I can type in ingredients and get a recipe?  Ground Turkey and canned chili….hmm…no matter how I think about it, it doesn’t sound appealing.

I find this cold weather UNPLEASANT…to say the least.

Moving

Several years ago, I made a big move.  I moved from Texas  to Alabama…round 600 miles from where I was born and had lived my whole life.  It took a while for me to make decisions and actually move.  I knew for a year that I was going to move.  God put it in my heart to move.  I really wanted to move to San Diego, CA (it is a beautiful city with a great climate.). The doors didn’t open there. 

Here were some of the things that happened on my journey to “moving”.  Bishop Phillips was preaching a message and in the middle of the message he said, “Alabama is hard work.”  It was a little random.  I visited Mobile, Al and found that it is a beautiful city…I fell in love.  I received several prophetic words regarding moving.  One was, something like, “God is moving you, geographically”  and another said, “God is moving you and this move will set things in order…”  both of these words came from individuals who had no idea I was considering moving.   Another thing that happened was a surge in finances that covered the move and expenses I had when I arrived…God financed the move.

There was also opposition.  A key spiritual leader in my life told me I was missing the will of God.  My dad was not all that happy about the idea of me living so far away.  I had to know that the move I was making was what God wanted to for me; His will.

It was an exciting season.  What was God going to do?  Anything could happen…I was reminded of God’s unlimited potential. 

What happened?  Everything good, bad and ugly happened.  It was revealing.  I found out some good things about me and some really ugly things about me.  And also that God loves me no matter what.

That same excitement has been stirring lately.  I am anticipating God moving…or God moving us.

Shout Out

Am I too old to do a “shout out”?  Or better yet…are “shout out” too “old school”?  I can some how see Will Farrell saying “I want to give a shout out…” 

We went to Big Spring this past weekend to visit my sister, brother-in-law and nephew.  To get to Big Spring (and by the way everyone – it is NOT Big Springs – there is only one spring and folks from Big Spring do not care for outsiders calling it Big Springs) head west on the back roads and when you hit the dessert, keep going for a while.  It’s past San Angelo but before you get to El Paso.  This is where Dennis and I met.

While we were blessed to get to visit with our friends Sammie and Jim.  They are so awesome.  Dennis and I have not gone out to Big Spring together since right before our wedding.  So we haven’t seen them in a while.  Sammie and Jim are everyday Christians; they live it every day.  Me really miss them. 

On Sunday we saw Mitzy, Zenon, Edward, Kevin, Angela, Jason, Jacqueline, Marcy, the Sanders, and so many others.  We had a chance to visit with Priscilla and Ruben for a little while. 

For all those people we didn’t get to see…here is your shout out.  Hey, Kim and Jim (we missed y’all) and the Walkers.  We also did not have a chance to stop by and see the Norths.  They have been such a blessing in our lives!  I am sure I am forgetting someone.  We hope to visit more frequently so hopefully, we will see you next time.

I am not enjoying this tea

Last weekend we went out to the Salt Lick (http://www.saltlickbbq.com/).  The Salt Lick has some of the BEST BBQ around.  I’m not a big barbecue fan but I enjoy the Salt Lick.  They may have great BBQ but their ice tea is awful.

Admittedly, I lived in Alabama and they know how to make some ice tea.  I very much enjoy the Lipton ice tea I make at home…sugar and little lime….mmm. 

When I finally got our watiers attention I told him, “I am not enjoying this ice tea” may I get a Dr. Pepper?  Later he said, “After you said you hated our ice tea…”  I laughed and told him, “That’s not what I said”.  He responded, “Everyone thinks our ice tea sucks”.  (Why don’t they change it??)  It was funny.

My brother-in-law, Mark sent me this email in honor of the Salt Lick.

This quote made me think of your tea at the Salt Lick:

“If this is coffee, please bring me some tea; but if this is tea, please bring me some coffee.”

                                                                                                          Abraham Lincoln

Graham Cooke

On Friday night we headed out to Church of the Hills in Cedar Park to hear Graham Cooke.  That hour and fifteen minute drive through Austin was totally worth it!!  And thank you Church of the Hills for bringing in such a dynamic man of God.

Graham (he’s really not into titles – he lives in California these days and seem very laid back) spoke on personality vs. persona.  Personality being who we are to those around us; our outward self.  Persona being who we are in the heavens; who God says we are.  He said we must begin to listen to who God says that we are so much that we begin to manifest that in the physical.  There are so many things that we do and say that do not line up with who God says we are.

When God tells you who you are He does three things

• Elevates your status
• Gives you legal authority
• Gives you permission to overcome

He used the Example of Gideon. (You can read the whole account in Judges 6)

God said three things to Gideon.
“The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!” 
“Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?” 
“Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.”

He said too many people never say who God says they are…as if telling others who God says they are is prideful.  He says this is false humility and a spirit of religion.  We should be declaring everyday who God says we are. 

When David went out to meet Goliath, he walked on to the battle field knowing what God had already said about him.  Graham said, “David could have said to Goliath, ‘I got a word from Sam and he said I am going to be king.  I’m not king yet.  So today is not my day to die.  It sucks to be you.'”  The point is, live in the Word’s that have been declared over you.

As Christians we are not called to judge (not each other…only the enemy and his work).  We are called to be ambassasadors of reconciliation; reconciling others to Christ.  Accountability is not about judging others it is about reminding them who God says they are and that their actions are not aligning with who are they are called to me. 

Identity is a combination of your ccalling, your favor and your authority. 

Once God tells you who you are, you can only go forward in that.  God doesn’t listen to excuses.  Once He tells you who you are He will only speak to you in that persona.  When we give God excuses, the only response we will hear is the “N” word:  Nevertheless.

Graham Cooke wove a great message.  The Sunday message is  here on the Church of the Hills’ website.  Everyone who lives in the Austin area should listen to it, he gave a powerful word for the region.  Stay tuned…. we are reading his series on becoming a warrior.