Each Christmas Eve we go to church for its Christmas Eve service. This year, we decided to try to get some photos with the lovely poinsettias in the background.   The children were kind of wiggly during the service. Had to got one of John and I Laura and Jenny Jenny is so sweet, she wanted one with me. Miquel and Jenny Some didn't want their photo taken, like Silas here. Baffled kind of how to handle Silas's mini meltdown not wanting ... Read More

  I don't like to dwell on the past, but my church reminded me Sunday of the merits of remembrance. We took time in the morning service to solemnly watch a slide show of the happenings on the day of September 11th. I don't know how I happened to have my grandson on my lap this particular Sunday, but as he watched the images, he had about 400 questions. He saw the towers, the planes, the fires, the destruction of the towers. His ... Read More

Illustrations taught in church today: One Armed New Student A children's Sunday School class was interrupted one day as a new student was brought in. The little boy had one arm missing.  The teacher, who'd had no opportunity to get to know the child's story, nor to ask how well he responded to other children asking about his disability, felt ill at ease throughout the class. What if one of the other children were to tease him or call him names?  As the ... Read More

Fatherlessness - Our nation's number one social epidemic. The United States is becoming an increasingly fatherless society. A generation ago, an American child could reasonably expect to grow up with his or her father. Today, an American child can reasonably expect not to. Fatherlessness is now approaching a rough parity with fatherhood as a defining feature of American childhood. (About 52% come from single homes) There is no question that children who grow up in fatherless homes have a much ... Read More

Is this video telling, or what? From the new Family Feud game show... ... Read More

Yesterday, Rubí attended her very first baby shower! She looked very spiffy for the event. It was a sweet day with lovely ladies of all ages. Two pastor's wives in our church will have new additions to their families very soon! PHOTOS of the Double Baby Shower HERE ... Read More

Blessed are the husband and wife who continue to be affectionate, considerate, and loving after the wedding bells have ceased ringing. Blessed are the husband and wife who are as polite and courteous to one another as they are to their friends. Blessed are they who love their mates more than any other person in the world, and who joyfully fulfill their marriage vow of a lifetime of fidelity and mutual helpfulness to one another. Blessed are they ... Read More

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about choices. We make them each day, and we're accountable for them... today this was a story read in church: Michael is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!" He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad ... Read More

Our church recently got a new roof. Now I don't think there is anything wrong with reconizing the effort that went into the new roof. However in today's church bulletin, I couldn't help a few giggles at the printed list: $135,000 - in savings to the church 67 "holy souls" (Volunteers) 24 "holey souls" 21 meals provided 130 sheets of plywood $25,000 in donated materials 1,480 hours of labor 15,000 sq. ft. of underlayment 140 meatballs 19,000 sq. ft. of sheet metal 720 cold cups 45 gallons of Gatorade 160 pieces of chicken 17 watermelons ... Read More

Once someone asked me, "How can you tell if a religion is a cult?" I thought about  it, as at first the answer seemed complex, and I looked for a way to give a simple answer. I finally summed it up as best I could, "Usually there is an element of works, of earning a way into  heaven." I was quick to add the Bible doesn't support that at all. This week at church we had a visiting preacher, Morris Gleiser.  I liked what ... Read More

Another year, another trip to The Wilds! Our teens will go to North Carolina for a week of fun, Bible study, and cut off from the world. No cell phones, no radios, no mp3 players, no computers, nothing. Each year, no one seems to even miss their connection to the outside world. Each year the camp has a theme. One year it was the "Days of Knights" and midieval theme prevailed , Another year was something like the Hatfields and ... Read More

I hope you will pardon (me, not the priest) for putting a video with cursing on it. This was on FoxNews tonight and no beeps were made so it wasn't highly offensive to television and shouldn't shock anyone reading this, with the exception that this is language of a priest. What disturbs me a great deal is the word "entitled" that is also used. This Rev. Michael Pfleger is telling white folk they should leave their jobs, their 401ks, because they got ... Read More

The next part of Memorial Day Weekend was our church picnic. The day started as usual, seeing Mr. Mason cooking the hamburgers and hotdogs. Laura and Miquel in a big game of soccer. Mike brought his appetite, and why not? No one cooks it up like Baptists at a barbecue! If there is a baby around, Anna will find them and scoop them up! There was also football, volleyball, great weather, and a special fellowship with our church family.   ... Read More

Our Memorial Day seemed to start on Sunday with Maranatha sending to our church a group of violinists who gave a concert of patriotic and spiritual songs. I couldn't help but think of this photo of Obama as when the group played the Star Spangled Banner, everyone, without being told to, young and old, rose and stood, put their hands over their hearts, and faced the American Flag with deep reverence.  I think there would be very few people in that congregation ... Read More

Oh yeah, I am definately keeping one foot in Wisconsin! Visit Timberland Today, just opened up on the web, and a great place for worship in Crivitz, Wisconsin! ... Read More

Did you make it to church this Easter? If not, can I invite you to take a listen to my Pastor from Anchor Baptist Church in Millersville, Maryland? Listen HERE   "...He became sin for us, He was the only One who could do it. Have you ever thought to yourself, I am a pretty good person, I keep the law... I think I'll make it . No. 'By the deeds of the law shall no deeds be justified.' the Bible says. That's the truth. ... Read More

I guess I have been waiting to blog about this subject for awhile now. Seemed to make sense to at least WAIT and give Mr. Barak Obama a chance to explain, and give him the benefit of the doubt till as such time as he could. Yesterday he did give a speech on the actions, words, and principles of his church's minister (among other subjects), and I am convinced that the presidency does not belong to Obama. He lied to the people when ... Read More

Miquel is back from Northland for Spring Break! Even though he desired to get back to our home church at Anchor, we attended services at Calvary to see Anna play the offertory music. Anchor is used to me with my camera, I don't know what Calvary thought, but I taped her anyway. :) It was interesting to re-visit Calvary after so many years, Enric used to attend school there.   See the video of Anna at the piano HERE    ... Read More

  According to Fox News, a Florida Pastor has a new challenge for his church members. "Single men and women can't have sex for 30 days, and married couples are urged to have it every day.   "If you look at studies, studies say in 30 days you can develop a habit," said Pastor Paul Wirth.   It definitely caught wives in the church by surprise."   ... Read More

Who doesn't need support? In our church there is a program amongst the ladies called the Sisters of Support. We agree to pray daily for one assigned to us and give encouragement to one another, but remain anonymous. At the end of the year, there is an unveiling party. This is my first year participating. I am liking this so far....I got a VERY encouraging present!     ... Read More

Our Christmas Eve is always a special occasion, but this year so much more with Enric, Miranda and Silas with us. We first had a Catalan Dinner that I prepared, and it was the BEST Fideus I had ever made. Next, we went to Christmas Eve Service at Church. Then we came home and open presents. Photos HERE   ... Read More

  Each year my children look forward to their big summer event and go with our church youth group to the Wilds Camp in North Carolina. This year the excitement was a little different as Laura wasn't sure she wasn't going to be able to go until the last minute. (Her dense mother put the registration a little late and hence she was on the waiting list). The Lord heard our prayers and late Friday the call came that she was off ... Read More

  One evening, some weeks ago, this young, lovely and usually shy & demure Elise came into our home, went down the steps into Miquel's room, woke him up out of a sound sleep, and asked him to her Jr-Sr. Of course he agreed. A Jr-Sr is like the end of the school year's formal affair. Elise opens the wrist corsage Miquel ordered for her; sweetheart roses and carnations with a ribbon to match her dress. They pose here in full sun, (I think ... Read More

Seems like there are certain occasions that just take more than one day around here. Miquel's high school graduation seems to be just such an occasion. Yesterday at church during the morning service, all the graduates were recognized by Pastor Caleb, and given gifts. The church was very generous. They each received a PC study Bible. From the looks of it, it is a tremendous piece of software. PC Study Bible Discovery Reference Library 5   Later, in the church's evening service, they had refreshments ... Read More

I've been going through old photos and scanning them. I thought I would share some past Easters with you. The first is my mom and I in front of our new house. I guess I was 7 or 8. The second is me in our Baltimore back yard. Next to last, my sister Linda and I with little Kimmy. I suppose I was around 14. Last, is one of my favorite photos. My mom and dad in front of the church we attended that Easter. Dad ... Read More

Rapture. I don't think this word is anywhere in the Bible, but it has come to have meaning to Christians who believe in a time when Jesus will return to collect His church in the air. This was a constant topic in our youth groups when I was growing up. Nowadays, it doesn't seem to be such a constant topic. I was rather intigued to find this Australian site, PottersHouse.com with these bold and dramatic mini movies. Do you believe in the ... Read More

Yesterday my children had the priviledge to participate in our church's annual LIT conference. LIT stands for Leadership in Training for Christ. There were about 250 people there from about 20 churches. The young people there were spiritually challenged, and experienced fellowship, accountability, and spiritual teaching time by some of the best speakers for young people, one being Dr. Rand Hummel.  I also got to participate in a small way, I was the official photographer for the event, of which I ... Read More

Lots of wisdom from our pulpit. I am a bit of a free spirit, and I like spontoneity, and for things to 'happen' naturally,  but what the pastor said recently is pounding my head and recent experiences are teaching me that it is so true... "Those who fail to plan, plan to fail." It's just that simple, and it's a vital reality. Enric and Miranda are showing me how they talk everything through, and plan, even in steps.  Something I would have thought before ... Read More

"Your dismissal of the reality doesn't change the reality." It was a great sermon last Sunday from visiting Pastor Stephen Johns . ... Read More

For years now I have sat down more than a few times with the Pastor of our church at Anchor Baptist in Millersville  and said, "You have good 'stuff' coming out of here, Pastor."  I was referring to the excellent preaching and teaching in the church services and Sunday School. So naturally when I started to be responsible for the church website, I was always putting forth the idea that we should put the sermons online for others to hear. Many ... Read More

Yesterday, a day before the usual July 4th celebrations we went to a local park to watch fireworks. This was a tad stressful for me in the sense that years running now, I haven't really had successful fireworks photographs for my efforts. I am happy to say this year was different. The event was very pleasant and we went with a family from church. It's been 6 years since our local Down's Park has held fireworks, and people welcomed it back this ... Read More

The pastor this morning quoted from the Gospel of Mark: "And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed." He went on to say that too often we get caught up in the things of the world and often the Lord invites us to retreat. Christ knows the importance of getting away, to a worthy place, to do 'business' with God. That is the Wilds for our youth at Anchor Baptist.   He ... Read More

Want to live longer? Go to church! No kidding! A new scientific study finds people who attend religious services weekly live longer. "Religious attendance is not a mode of medical therapy," said study leader Daniel Hall, a resident in general surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. "While this study was not intended for use in clinical decision making, these findings tell us that there is something to examine further." More on the story... ... Read More

Laura has kept us busy these days. Today she was baptized. Friends came, and so did my sister and her husband too. Before I was baptized, my dad teased me endlessly how I was going to get dunked three times and brought up twice. Naturally, I passed that on to Laura. (My dad would have liked that) :) In spite of my teasing, Laura was counciled beforehand to learn the importance of this step in her life: Most Baptists believe that baptism is ... Read More

I've spent hours with my son Enric playing and building things with his legos. So it was so wonderful when I received a certain email from my cousin Tanya with pics of this Lego contruction of a church... Those pics got me to wondering more about this project, so I googled it, and found this site » Lego Church Not sure where the cats fit in, but it was an enjoyable visit seeing what went into the contruction of that lego Church. :) ... Read More