Welcome to Our World

music and lyrics by Chris Rice
story by God

Tears are falling, hearts are breaking
How we need to hear from God
You've been promised, we've been waiting
Welcome Holy Child
Welcome Holy Child

Hope that you don't mind our manger
How I wish we would have known
But long-awaited Holy Stranger
Make Yourself at home
Please make Yourself at home

Bring Your peace into our violence
Bid our hungry souls be filled
Word now breaking Heaven's silence
Welcome to our world
Welcome to our world

Fragile finger sent to heal us
Tender brow prepared for thorn
Tiny heart whose blood will save us
Unto us is born
Unto us is born

So wrap our injured flesh around You
Breathe our air and walk our sod
Rob our sin and make us holy
Perfect Son of God
Perfect Son of God
Welcome to our world

Do You Really Get It?

Today's My Utmost for His Highest is so good I have to share it here - but first with my two cents! After all.. isn't that what blogging is all about?

The bottom line is that, hello, it's not about us. It's really not. The focus is and should be on God alone. That's the focus Christ had... to do what God had called Him to do. We were just in the way. I first heard this from John Piper, nearly 10 years ago, when he spoke at Passion 98. I was slackjawed to hear that statement for I always gripped John 3:16 as my ammunition. But these thoughts can coexist. God did love the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son. But that's not why Christ came to earth (to take Chris Rice's words.. wrapped our injured flesh around Him)... but He did and I'm thankful. For this reason and this reason alone, I will one day see God face to face. Amazing Grace!

Here's the devotional...

The death of Jesus Christ is the fulfillment in history of the very mind
and intent of God. There is no place for seeing Jesus Christ as a martyr. His
death was not something that happened to Him— something that might have been
prevented. His death was the very reason He came.

Never build your case for forgiveness on the idea that God is our Father and He will forgive us because He loves us. That contradicts the revealed truth of God in Jesus Christ. It makes the Cross unnecessary, and the redemption "much ado about nothing." God forgives sin only because of the death of Christ. God could forgive people in no other way than by the death of His Son, and Jesus is exalted as Savior because of His death. "We see Jesus... for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor..." (Hebrews 2:9). The greatest note of triumph ever sounded in the ears of a startled universe was that sounded on the Cross of Christ— "It is finished!" (John 19:30). That is the final word in the redemption of humankind.

Anything that lessens or completely obliterates the holiness of God, through a false view of His love, contradicts the truth of God as revealed by Jesus Christ. Never allow yourself to believe that Jesus Christ stands with us, and against God, out of
pity and compassion, or that He became a curse for us out of sympathy for us.
Jesus Christ became a curse for us by divine decree. Our part in realizing the
tremendous meaning of His curse is the conviction of sin. Conviction is given to
us as a gift of shame and repentance; it is the great mercy of God. Jesus Christ
hates the sin in people, and Calvary is the measure of His hatred.

All for now,
Lisa

Adventures Abound!

The past two weeks have brought very fun adventures for me:

Two weekends ago, a group went to Bastrop to enjoy the inaugural journey of an inland paddling trail - the "El Camino Real Paddling Trail". It's a new 6-mile paddling trail where the legendary El Camino Real crossed the Lower Colorado River. That Saturday was B-E-A-utiful and it was a day-long trip full of fun - and even a last-minute detour to a winery (the Lehm Berg winery in Giddings). We had a GRAND time. Photos at left.

Last weekend (my birthday weekend), a group traveled to Martin Dies, Jr. State Park to enjoy a weekend of camping... and kayaking... and mountain biking... and road biking... and even a late-night marshmallow gunfight! All that, along with campfires (with s'mores and guitars), great food and lots of laughs, we had a BALL!!! Photos at left.

Here's the top six quotes that were brought home from the trip...

6. "I'm on a dinner date, and I can't stop thinking about you. I find you very intriguing," wrote Ryan's new "friend"
5. "Yep, some people are driving the canoes over to the lake," said the park ranger.
4. "Oh, I put her away," explained Melissa
3. "Man, I love Immodium!!!" expressed Paul with relief
2. Sharing lofty dreams and sincere longing, Melissa sighed, "I've always wanted a mag lite..."

And the number 1, never-to-be-acted-out-again quote comes from the Bee-Day
girl, "Wanna see my sting?" (wink, wink)

All for now,
Lisa

Biking Among the Giants

One beautiful Saturday recently, I found myself riding my mountain bike around town with a few of my friends. It was a brisk day, but we had so much fun discovering wonderful sights right here in the middle of the city. This photo was taken at David Adicke's studio.

David Adickes is a local sculptor and is famous for his larger than life sculptures. He is the creator of such notable works as the 60 foot tall Stephen F Austin statue, the 67 foot tall Sam Houston, and the 20 foot tall busts of the U.S. Presidents in President’s Park.

From what I understand, the 36 foot tall Beatles statues will stay here in Houston and be located along I-10 that runs right beside his massive warehouse studio.

Well, it was an amazing day and I wanted to share it with you.

All for now,

Lisa

Satisfied

sat·is·fied - Pronunciation [sat-is-fahyd] –adjective

1. content: a satisfied look.
2. completely paid, as a bill.
3. convinced, as in an argument: Their opponents were finally satisfied.

[Origin: 1565–75]

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

This past summer, we saw this tombstone in Kenya - in a cemetary where many missionaries had been buried. Obviously, a tombstone like this catches your eye. It made me wonder about K.W. Allen MD. Was it a he or a she? In their roughly 69 years on earth, what made them want to put "satisfied" on their tombstone? How long had this person been a missionary?

Then a long ago sermon replayed in my head. In it, the preacher talked about our lives here on earth. And the fact that it is so brief. So brief, in fact, that only a dash on our tombstone represents our entire life! (for Dr. Allen, it's 1886 - 1955).

What will you do with your dash?

All for now,
Lisa

And I—in righteousness I will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness (Psalm 17:15 NIV)

LiveSTRONG ride - at a glance

On October 14, I rode the LiveSTRONG challenge in the Austin area. In my opinion, it's one of the hardest, yet most beautiful, rides I've ever done. I got to view wonderful vistas, beautiful small dams, amazing longhorn cattle, and tall wheatgrass swaying in the breeze.

And talk about challenging! At one point, we climbed 550 ft within 10 miles.

I hope to do this one next year. It was very well organized... I was impressed. But I will definitely need more hill training!! ;-)

With the contact sheet at left, you can relive it with me!

All for now,
Lisa

15 Years and Counting!

I cannot believe I've lived in my little house for 15 years now.

It's been such a great opportunity for me to have a 3D canvas in which to try my hand at different types of art (and construction).

Overall, I've loved every minute of it, save the dry wall dust!

Here's to 15 more!!

All for now,
Lisa

P.S. At left is the poem that the daughter of the original owner of my house wrote for me and read to a small party the night I signed on my house.

The Hawk

Well, there's the photo and here's the story:

Just the other day, it was perched at the end of my drive way, near the garage. As I turned into the driveway, it really didn't move at first (which surprised me). As I drove up, it flew away (with a small dead bird in its talons) -- it was then that I realized what it was! It just flew to my next door neighbor's fence. That's where I took the photo.

I think he had a dove in his talons.... at least it looked like at a distance. There was actually a dove INSIDE my studio over the weekend (I had left the garage door open). I think he was a little sick because he was flying crazy.

Let me tell you it was the strangest thing to turn into my driveway.. look up the driveway and think it's simply a dove in the driveway (what I would have expected). Then to see/hear... whap whap whap of his wings as he spread them to fly away. AMAZING. Then to just fly to the neighbor's fence. Incredible. So I took those photos and then realized I had a better camera inside. I went in, got it, came back out. He was still just sitting there. I tried to take a photo.. and alas, no memory card in the camera. OUCH. So, I went back inside, found a memory card, installed it, came back outside, then pointed the camera to zoom and then whap whap whap he flew away. DAGNABIT.

I came inside and a few minutes later I could hear him screech as he flew over my house... as if to say, "I'm still here!"

Anyway, it was cool.

WOW!!! I just can't believe the wildlife RIGHT here in the thick middle of the city.

Love it! Love it!!!

All for now,
Lisa

Psalm 46 (NIV)

oh, someone needs to hear this as badly as I did today:

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore
we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the
heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake
with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of
God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will
not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms
fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The LORD Almighty is with us; the
God of Jacob is our fortress. Come and see the works of the LORD, the
desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of
the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields
with fire. "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the
nations, I will be exalted in the earth." The LORD Almighty is with us; the
God of Jacob is our fortress.

All for now,
Lisa

The Lecture of a Lifetime

Yesterday, I saw an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal about Randy Pausch, a Carnegie Mellon University computer-science professor. It seems that he delievered his "last lecture" to students and colleagues. While a few colleges are doing these last lecture series, his was a little different because he's been diagnosed with a pretty radical cancer which doctors give him just a few months to live.

I read his take on life and how he delivered his speech. He showed his life, his past, as a gift to his children. While noble, his gift of legacy falls short. No disrespect to him because, you see, we all face the same fate as Randy. One of the few certainties of each of us is that our lives here in this world will end in death. We can live our lives boldly, nobly, cleanly, risky. But if we don't live in holy, then really all our life can be is archived film.

He says this life calls for boldness. I wonder if someone has been bold enough to share Christ with Randy.

What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? I wonder if someone imparted to Randy Pausch the truth of Jesus Christ and the good news of the gospel.

You see, for each of us, it may just be our last chance with someone we know, someone we love.

What is your lecture of a lifetime? What would you say? Who would you say it to?

Do it!

All for now,
Lisa

Age Ain't Nuthin But a Numba!

Many of you know that's one of my mantras (and some of you know the funny story behind it). However, I just read a great story that supports this thought:

Flynt, 59, making comeback with Sul Ross State University

Updated: August 22, 2007, 12:24 PM ET
ALPINE, Texas -- Mike Flynt was drinking beer and swapping stories with some old football buddies a few months ago when he brought up the biggest regret of his life: Getting kicked off the college team before his senior year.
One of his pals asked why he didn't do something about it? So Flynt started a comeback -- at age 59.
Flynt has returned to Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas, 37 years after he left -- and six years before he goes on Medicare. And, he's has made the roster of
the Division III Lobos and could be in action as soon as Sept. 1.
Flynt enrolled in graduate school so he can take advantage of his final semester of
Division III eligibility.
Flynt is giving new meaning to being a college senior. After all, he's a grandfather. He's eight years older than his coach and has two kids older than any of his teammates. His youngest child just started at the University of Tennessee.
Flynt's position is still being determined, but he used to play linebacker. Wherever he lines up, just getting into a game likely will make him the oldest player in college football history. Neither the NCAA or NAIA keeps such a statistic, but research hasn't turned up anyone older than mid-40s.
And with around 200 pounds on a 5-10 frame, about the only visible difference from his playing days is a shaved head. He's in tremendous shape for his age because he's made a living out of working out.
A longtime strength and conditioning coach at Nebraska, Oregon and Texas A&M, Flynt has spent the last several years selling the Powerbase training system he invented.
He recently taught it to some of the military's special operations forces, keeping up with them in their workouts.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

All for now,
Lisa

Triathlon Triptych

Swim, bike, run. And all of it with a smile. God is good.

All for now,
Lisa

River Cities Triathlon

Well, against all good sense and judgement, I competed in a triathlon in Shreveport, LA last Sunday.

This was my training routine:

last open water swim: one year ago

last time on bike: MS150 in April

last run: one week ago in Kenya!

And not to mention I had to purchase new running shoes the Friday before the traithlon (I had left my running shoes in Kenya).

But alas, I finished the triathlon. I wasn't the first to finish, but I wasn't the last either.

Training, schmaining! ;-)

Truly, the best part of it all - and the part that made it well-worth it was to spend time with great folks - like my good friend, Tessy.

All for now,
Lisa

P.S. photos at left

Two Years and Counting

I had another blog birthday. Can't believe it's two years of writing whatever is on my mind. Kinda fun. But kinda shows how little is on my mind. ;-)

All for now,
Lisa

A Trip of a Lifetime

My church planned a mission trip to Kenya. This was part of the description: Beginning next summer (2007) we will develop our partnerships in Kenya with Kenya Baptist Theological College and in the region of Mukaa. This missionary journey to Kenya will be challenging and breathtaking. By challenging, we mean accommodations, cost, flight schedules, and ministry in Central Africa. By breathtaking, we mean an excursion of the end of the trip to Masai Mara National Reserve Park.

I knew I had to go! Matter of fact, I have just returned. And let me say God met us there!!! I wrote 18 pages in my journal. Needless to say, I can't write it all here. But alas, I took over 1000 photos. I'll be sharing them at left.

All for now,
Lisa

London (again)

I was fortunate enough to be able to head to London for a business meeting. I was able to see a show and I took some miscellaneous photos... they are at left.

All for now,
Lisa

Do You Remember?

In a post back in November, I remarked that most of Houston's great landmarks are being replaced by strip malls and chain stores. I asked you to remember the great landmarks.

Well, I just came across a great list. I may be showing my age, but I remember most of these great places. Do you?

- Guido's (remember the shrimp and crab sculptures in front of the S. Main restaurant?)
- Sonny Look's
- Sakowitz on Main Street
- Jim Jamail and Sons (world's most famous grocery store that's now a car wash)
- The field that used to be Astroworld
- The Amtrak station

On a good note, there are still some great places around:

- the Astrodome (they haven't demolished it yet!)
- the Battleship Texas and San Jacinto Monument
- Courtlandt Place (grand homes)
- Space Center Houston
- Saint Arnold's Brewery
- the Downtown Tunnels
- Galveston - Sea wall and strand
- Hermann Park and Miller Theater
- Warren's Inn downtown
- La Carafe (oldest commercial building in Houston)
- the Petroleum Club
- the Magnolia Room

All for now,
Lisa

P.S. I'd like to add Kemah to the list, but not sure which list to add it to... as the old Kemah restaurant area was so much cooler than the new "boardwalk".

You Just Never Know Who You'll Run Into

Well, so I'm on a trip to Bangkok, which takes 3 flights to get there. My first is a flight from Houston to Los Angeles. So, I'm sitting in the airport, waiting for my flight to board, talking on the phone and you would never believe who walks right up and starts talking to the person sitting across from me? CHRIS TOMLIN! How cool is that? He and I both do double takes. I imagine he first thinks I'm some sort of stalker (but he walked up to me, right?). Eventually, I say, "Hi, I'm Lisa". He says, "Hi, Lisa" and walks away (politely) with his other friends.

I get on the plane and guess who sits right in front of me? Yup, person mentioned above. We talked a little. He says he's on his way to Sydney, Australia for the Hillsongs Conference (how cool is that?). He asks me where I'm going. I then had to show him my ipod, which has every CD he's ever released (including his first, which he calls, "blackmail material"). I got the chance to tell him that his songs are powerful to me.

I had to get a photo as the opportunity presented itself. He was kind enough to ablidge. Holly, my colleague I'm traveling with, said as he departed, "He's cool". Yeah, he's cool.

All for now,
Lisa

P.S. Photos at left

2007 New Orleans Jazz Fest

A group of 10 of us traveled to New Orleans this weekend for Jazz Fest. Below are just some of the memories:

Friday
Are we there yet?
Backseat porn (in the car next to us)
Shell or Chevron?
You gonna be that way all weekend, Bret?
Can we eat at Chilis?
Remoulade!
Want to see my compost pile?
Sweet Caroline!
Does anyone know what this is?

Saturday
It's Showtime!
David bringing sexy back
Slap ya mama!
How do you get an elephant out of a safeway bag?
Crawfish bread and orange mandarin tea
Rebirth
Smoking is SO last year
Helen and Lisa's flip flop
David, what did you do for those beads?
Hey baby, wanna party? We're going to the seminary!
Funky Butt
I am sixteen going on seventeen

Sunday
I got me a photography degree!
HOOOO
CHEE
The Rocks of Harmony
I wish you well
Slap ya mama (again)
Who around here voted for Bush?
For you guys, I'll do it for $15
B-E-A-utiful sunset

photos at left

All for now,
Lisa

Biking it to Austin!

This past weekend, I rode my bicycle over 150 miles to Austin. Well, I wasn't alone. 12,999 cyclists went with me! I did the MS150 bike tour.

It took 2 days and was my fourth time to ride my bike to Austin. I had an incredible time. Especially, the last day, after lunch, when I and 9 others steamed into Austin in a draft line.

But there is so much to the bike ride than actually riding your bike. As a matter of fact, I wrote the following in an email to some fellow riders, who had not ridden it before, where one was talking about the more hard-core cyclists:

Yes, some people do the whole bike ride in one day (and are in Austin by
3:00). It's amazing. I'm not in that category... but then again, the
journey is fun, but you have to be in the right frame of mind to enjoy it as you
ride (and not get caught up in finishing fast). There are amazing views,
and amazing people along the path. Truly, in the 3 times I've done it,
that's what I remember most (not what time I get to where).

I re-read that now that I've finished the ride and couldn't agree more. In fact, before we got on our bikes the first day, we specifically prayed for safety, fun, strength, and divine appointments. And God met us there! I thank Him for providing all of that and more. And I can tell you specifically about all four:

Safety
Personally, I had one or two close calls - where my breath was taken away when I got too close to a wheel in front of me - but I am so thankful for arriving safely to Austin. I'm sure there were more, but I know of just one person (so sorry Marie) who was injured on the ride. The good news is that I do believe Marie was able to finish the ride.

Fun
Yes! The fun started when we got to our off-site starting location at 6:00. The fog had rolled in pretty heavily that morning so we were delayed a bit. But it surely was nice to start away from the crowds and to have a bathroom at the ready! Thanks Scott!! (And speaking of being thankful, I am also so thankful to Tarek for the EARLY MORNING drop off, Stacy for the showers in Austin, and Melissa for the roundtrip pickup in Austin!)

There were a lot of fun things along the way. I saw a bicycle built for 3!!! A unicyclist (whom I think made it all the way to Austin). I saw plenty of fun things attached to bicycle helmets and innovative bicycles. The funniest "flick flub" I saw was the huge MS150 welcome banner in Fayetteville. It said "MS150 welcomes you to Fayettville". If I had been faster with the camera, I would have gotten it on film!

Now, the bicyclist's banter was a lot of fun too. Mostly inside jokes, but lots going around. It made the miles go by very quickly. For instance, if I said bananas and sunblock to you, you probably might raise an eyebrow in question. But it would cause some of my fellow riders to snicker!

Strength
As some of you know, I have a fairly bad knee resulting from knee surgery 20 years ago. Basically, the maniscus was removed and my knee is now "bone on bone" and, resulting, I have a large bone spur. So, long story short, it's painful. However, the Lord was so merciful. I am so thankful that I was able to "ride the park" - which is the most challenging portion of the bike ride. But I have a more touching memory of strength. And it involves a bit of a confession. Although we were not allowed to listen to ipods while on our bikes, I confess, I did listen, but only the last 5 miles coming into La Grange. But it was worth it! I had downloaded Lincoln Brewster's version of "Everlasting God" right before leaving for the trip and synched it to my ipod without listening to it. So, the first time I heard the song was the last few miles coming into La Grange. The song is great; I love it. But it was this version that got me. At the very end, there was a small child reciting scripture. Man, it brings tears to my eyes just as I type this. The child was reciting Isaiah 40:31:

but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

I wasn't expecting that! But it surely came at the right time. Praise Him!

Divine Appointments
This is a wonderful story that happened to one of my fellow riders. It was his first MS ride and, initially, he was mostly doing it for the goal of riding to Austin. However, God had another idea. It was the last lunch of the last day that he happened to meet a woman who had MS. Her story was amazing and he was able to put a face to this tragic disease. As he told me the story of meeting this woman, tears welled up in his eyes and I just knew the Lord had met them there also. He was even able to pray with her. Praise Him ever more!!


Well, that's a quick story of the MS. So much more than a simple bike ride.

photos left.

All for now,
Lisa

The Adventure Continues

Perhaps this blog entry should aptly be renamed, The Adventure (Racing) Begins, because I competed in my first Adventure Race at Inks Lake this past weekend!

For those of you who have never heard of an adventure race, it's kinda like competing in a triathlon in a state park. You compete in multiple events, each timed (even the transition is timed). The events I competed in (with my race partner, Jon) included a mystery event, paddling, mountain biking, and trail running (all while orienteering and navigating to hidden check points).

Our race was a "sprint" race, which meant that it would only be one day (we started at 9:00 and the course would be closed at 6:00). There are some races which will continue over multiple days (can you believe??)

So, here's our story:

Four of us drove up to Inks Lake Friday night (through some pretty fierce thunderstorms). However, praise God, the rain stopped just in time for us to set up our tents (we were to camp the whole weekend at Inks Lake). The race folks were amazed that two teams fit into one car to make the drive up to Inks Lake. Actually, we were pretty amazed it all fit into one car also! One kayak, 4 bikes, 4 people and their stuff (race stuff, camp stuff, personal stuff) all crammed into my 11 year old Toyota 4-Runner (which was dubbed "Myrtle" for the trip).

Saturday morning came early as we had been advised to put "slime" inner tubes in our tires due to the abundant cactus in the park (more about the cactus later). So, having a quick power breakfast, changing our inner tubes, then setting up our transition area became our order of events before the real "pre-race" events began.

At 8:30, the race directors gave us the "coordinate points" for leg 2 of the race. Leg 2, that's right. They gave us 30 minutes to plot the points then come back to the start to receive leg 1 coordinates (since leg 2 was the paddle event, they had to give us something to break up the masses. They didn't want everyone dashing for their boats at the same time). The first leg was a mystery event of sorts... had to figure out the clues to run to different points in the park. Once finished, we went straight for our canoe.

This is where the interesting leg began as the wind on Saturday was as strong as I've seen it! So strong, in fact, there were white caps on the water (it looked more like an ocean than a small lake). What was more challenging was the fact that the wind whipped around a couple of times while we were out on the lake! It seemed as if we were ALWAYS canoeing against the wind. We finally finished our canoe check points and headed back to dock our canoe. Once docked, we received our biking coordinates. While Jon plotted them, I changed clothes as I was soaked from being in the front of the canoe (whew!).

Off to the biking portion! Well, the half biking / half trekking with your bike portion! The trails were actually hiking trails, not biking trails, so some of the course was too rocky (way too rocky) to navigate on a bike. The trails were beautiful though!!! I don't think I've seen as vibrant of bluebonnets as are what is at Inks Lake. But don't take your eyes off the course! The cactus are right there among the bluebonnets. And I know very intimately how prickly cactus can be. I actually fell into cactus (well, right by it... where are the spines had fallen). Yes, I got a backside full of cactus spines. OUYEEEE!!! That's all I could yell as I sat smack dab on my backside. Jon turned around and came back to check on me. After I got up and got most of the ones I could see off me, I realized my backside must have looked like a pin cushion. After we got as many off as we could, we headed back to camp (we had gotten all our check points by the time). I managed to sit "just right" on my bike to avoid the sharp pain. When we got back to camp, I had hoped to find either some tweezers or some duck tape (neither of which I could find). The EMT, Mary, ended up getting an up-close and personal view of my backside and she plucked with her fingers one-by-one the cactus spines from my backside. I'm forever indebted to her!! Thank you Mary!! Well, with still quite a few spines in my backside (and yet another clothes change), and after Jon did his wonderful job with mapping the trekking check points, we were off to the trails!

The trekking portion had six checkpoints and let me tell you Jon honed in on them like a magnet! It was amazing. My favorite checkpoint was "top of the world" and we stopped to get some photos while we were up there. We made it back to the transition area around 5:15.

The bottom line is that I had a great time on this race, challenged myself, saw some beautiful country, had a great time with my race partner, Jon, and thoroughly enjoyed meeting a lot of new and interesting folks.

More adventures to come. Next week is the MS150!

All for now,
Lisa

P.S. Photos at left

Seeing the Cross

Outside the campus of my company's worldquarters in San Ramon, CA, there is a wonderful view of a simple cross on a mountain. I had not noticed it until a coworker pointed it out last time I was there. He told me a story of how a friend of his knew the people who built it. A few weeks later, he sent me (and his friend) some photos he took with his camera phone (one of them is at left). Well, his friend (and now my friend!) sent me some WONDERFUL shots of the cross. Here they are:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/131/412247606_d11566fc62_b.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/152/371356584_1cd8ff3aa0_b.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/124/321593363_fa3ed1886f_b.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/110/277921763_2d4f58e51f_o.jpg

He also told me the rest of the story of the cross on that mountainside. Here are his words:

My wife used to attend a Bible study with the lady who lives up
there. She and her husband run a farm (ranch?) with cattle and such.
Her husband wanted to do something to show his faith and decided on putting up a
cross on the ridge. They tried several things using large pipes and such
but nothing was very visible. A neighbor asked them to help him dispose of
a large dumpster that was falling apart. They took the dumpster, cut it
apart and welded it into the cross. They had to drag it up the hill with a
large tractor as the cross weighs about 3000 lbs. Then came the inevitable
legal challenges. Nothing too serious but they did end up having to get a
“use permit” from the county.

And now you know the rest of the story!
John Wright
http://bikejohnsdailyphoto.blogspot.com

I urge you to see the cross clearly as we enter this Easter season. I pray for you a reflective day as we observe Good Friday today... to discover the real meaning of Easter - Jesus Christ loves you.

All for now,

Lisa

Austin Adventure

Two words... LOVED IT!!!

This past weekend, a few friends went to Austin for an adventure. We all had a great time. The weather could not have been better (were were slackjawed in amazement). It was absolutely gorgeous.

Friday night began our fun with an outing to Threadgills (we were hoping for some live music). Dinner was great though.

Saturday moning, we drove to Boomer's Rocky Hill Ranch for some trail riding. The bluebonnets at the top were fantastic... and even though there was heavy rain Friday night, we made it up to the top on our own (we didn't need no stinkin' ride!) But because of the rain, there were probably a few more water hazards than usual... which only made for a more interesting trip.

We made it back to base around 2:30... just in time to clean up our bikes, get back to Austin, and head to Town Lake for some kayaking! After munching down on some good fajitas, we kayaked to the Congress Avenue bridge just in time for sunset (and the big bat release!!!)

Migas at Trudy's began our Sunday morning... only to be topped off by worship at Austin Stone Community Church.

Our leisurely drive back was dotted by beautiful vistas of bluebonnets... and a great burger in Bastrop.

Photos at left.

All for now,
Lisa

First Flippin' Blog of 2007

Yes, the rumor of my demise has been greatly exaggerated! I'm alive and well and have been having a great time - spending most of my time outside enjoying our B-E-A-utiful weather.

I have been cycling quite a bit, readying myself for the MS 150 (April 21-22, 2007). Seeing the bluebonnets in bloom from the saddle of my bicycle is quite a treat.

Further, a few friends went camping at Huntsville State Park the first weekend in March. It was a glorious time of trail biking, canoeing, resting, as well as cooking quite the extravagant meals. Who says you have to rough it when you're camping?

And would you believe I bought a kayak! I took it out on Buffalo Bayou last Saturday afternoon... well, there's a whole nuther story there... I actually flipped over in Buffalo Bayou while trying to get into my kayak!! Yup! flipped right over... can't you believe?!?!?! Well, I was trying to get in to the kayak from the boat dock at the Sabine St. bridge (first time in my kayak) and went right over. I think I was more proud of myself that I was able to flip the boat back over (first try) and get in from the water (first try). You know... I have to make the best of it!! ;-)

So, hence the title of this blog. I guess there will be more adventures to come!

All for now,
Lisa