Traveling

We're headed off to Georgia today! We're going to go to the Vision Forum Father-Daughter Retreat at Callaway Gardens in Georgia. We'll stopping at lots of other places as well. When we get back we'll be able to put pictures on our blog because we finally have our digital camera back (it's a long story). Don't think we'll be posting for awhile.

~Christy

~Little Acts Of Kindness~

KINDNESS ~ by Allison Chambers Coxsey

A simple act of kindness,
Passed on from man to man;
Is but a touch of God's own love,
In a kind, extended hand.
Compassion, love and mercy,
Passed down through all mankind;
Completing then the circle,
That all men seek to find.
In reaching out and touching lives,
With your generosity;
It did not go unnoticed,
For the eyes of God can see.
The kindness and compassion,
That He's sown deep in your soul;
An instrument of His own love,
To make life's circle whole.

Oh how meaningful can just a little effort of kindness be towards the recipient.

-- "and be ye kind one to another..." Ephesians 4:32.--

God loves more than just someone giving their best friend a Tootsie Roll when they themselves have 100 Tootsie rolls (though that is a good thing to do). God loves it when self-sacrifice is involved. I'm talking about the time when you were little that you gave up your favorite toy to let someone else play with it or the instance when you decided to give up going to some place you really wanted to go and instead volunteered your time to help someone else. This kind of kindness involves giving, but one has to remember that, "God loves a cheerful giver." Give kindness with a good attitude and make sure it comes from your heart. God will reward in His way and time.

~Christy

State Tournament

A few days ago (March 2-4 [Thursday, Friday, Saturday]) my family (which includes me) went to Houston for the Texas State Home School Speech and Debate Tournament. I met so many awesome people who yesterday were delightful boys and girls but who are now growing into young men and women committed to serving the Lord.

The first two days were just the normal ritual of competition. But Saturday stands out to me as a time of learning and excitement. I learned due to the fact that since I myself had no events that day I was able to watch:

• Apologetics, a speech event that was created to teach teenagers how to defend their faith.
• Persuasive, where I heard topics that ranged from illegal immigration to raising children to family integrated churches to the problem with America's education system (Paul's speech).
• Four Team Policy debates about medical malpractice.
• One Lincoln-Douglas debate about the media's right to protect confidential sources.

Excitement prevailed during the awards ceremony when I saw Paul get six awards (a very incredible thing). That night I got to eat dinner with Pat IV and his friend Leah McKay near their college. It was about eleven o'clock at night when we arrived at IHOP. Normally at that time I can keep myself awake...but after an exhausting three days at a speech and debate tournament, Paul later described me as a "head bobber". On Sunday we were able to go to church with Pat IV as an entire family! It might have been a new church to me but we were all together :).

~Christy