Happy Birthday Marf!!!!

Recognize anyone here? Betcha most people wouldn't, but Martha should. This was her 12th birthday party on July 21, 1980.

Hmmmmmm . . . how old would that make her today?

Sorry that the picture with me in it wasn't as good. It's a crying shame I can't be seen here as I was the photographer. :D

Bloody power windows

Okay, so I should have known that when my driver side power window was giving me a bit of trouble recently that I shouldn't push my luck during a downpour. However, I'm not one to give up on a challenge and so I went through Tim's yesterday. Yep, pouring rain and my window wouldn't budge. Not a single inch.

I managed, by continuously trying it, to get it up within five minutes or so, but that was most certainly enough to keep me from putting it down again. I called the garage, but they're booked into next week.

Guess that'll keep me out of the drive through . . . for now!!

The church today

Yesterday, as my mother and I were travelling to the trailer, we were discussing my failed marriage. Good travelling topic and one to get me just a little hyped up. Anyhow, one thing led to another and we got to discussing how little support I got from the church I was attending at the time. My ex and I went for counselling and I was told how I could change to get him to stay home instead of philandering. I left that church when we split, and he and his girlfriend continued to go there and the church never, to my knowledge, ever addressed the fact that he had cheated on his wife and family and how inappropriate it was for him to be living with this woman.

I have since that time attended another church, but I have not felt like I was in fellowship there. I mean, I could walk in and walk out without anyone knowing I was present. It has been a disappointment in many ways, but I stayed because the sermons were great and I enjoyed the praise music. Recently, however, my brother and his wife were having issues with one of the congregants of my church and they went to the pastoral staff for assistance in mediating a solution. They were basically told that the church would not pick sides, but that they believed the congregant's version of events.

My problem with all this is that I'm not seeing churches (i.e. the body of believers) who are getting close enough to each other to see when a member is hurting or one who is really struggling with their walk. Why is it that I have not been at this church for many months now and nobody has called to see if I'm okay or alive? I was even in a life group, and the members of that group haven't noticed I'm missing either (or if they have, they haven't let on that they have).

We are working so hard at bringing people to Christ and into our churches, but are we seeing when they are in need of encouragement? Are we doing life together or are we all just marching to our own drum?

I dunno, perhaps I'm just a cynic, but I am seeking a church that not only has solid biblical teaching, but has a strong component of fellowship. We need strong leaders in these churches who will hold their congregants accountable. We also need other believers to do life with and to hold each other accountable.

Proud soccer mom

I just need a moment to gloat here. My daughter Rebecca, who plays on Guelph's U13 girls rep soccer team, scored two goals tonight. Now, that might not seem like a huge accomplishment, but she's always been a defensive player and for the last couple games they've moved her to mid-field. She's tearing it up out there. Of course, those two goals look really impressive when you add to them the one she scored earlier in the year . . . mostly because her team has only scored five goals in total this season.

I'm so proud.

Italy vs ?

Wow! What a semi-final today between Italy and Germany. Honestly, I'm sad to see Germany is out of it, but I'm relieved it didn't go to penalty kicks. I think that has to be the saddest way to finish a game.

Tomorrow's semi between Portugal and France should be just as good. They've both knocked out extremely tough teams to get to this semi. Unfortunately for them, one will not go to the final!

Sadly, Canada is just not a soccer country . . . yet! I think it's coming, but I won't lay odds as to when or even if I'll be alive to see it.