Psalm 84:5 (ESV)...

Footnote from NIV Life Application Bible (v.5-7): 

The pilgrimage to the temple passed through the barren Valley of Baca.  No specific valley has been identified with Baca.  Because Baca can mean "weeping," it may have been a symbolic reference to the times of struggles and tears through which people must pass on their way to meet God.  Growing strong in God's presence is often preceded by a journey through barren places to our lives.  The person who loves to spend time with God will see his or her adversity as an opportunity to re-experience God's faithfulness.  If you are walking through your own Valley of Baca today, be sure your pilgrimage leads toward God, not away from Him.  

Hebrews 12:1 (ESV)...

Footnote from NIV Life Application Bible:

This "great cloud of witnesses" is composed of the people described in Chapter 11.  Their faithfulness is constant encouragement to us.  We don not struggle alone, and we are not the first to struggle with the problems we face.  Others have run the race and won, and their witness stirs us to run and win also.  What an inspiring heritage we have!

(v.1-4):

The Christian life involves hard work.  It requires us to give up whatever endangers our relationship with God, to run patiently, and to struggle against sin with the power of the Holy Spirit.  To live effectively, we must keep our eyes on Jesus.  We will stumble if we look away from Him to stare at ourselves or at the circumstances surrounding us.  We should be running for Christ, not ourselves, and we must always keep Him in sight.

Happy Birthday Stella!!!

from Me

from Tim

from Scot

Stella’s 1 year old today. We found her in a shopping center parking lot all alone. She was too tiny for us to keep so we gave her to a cat rescue to help get her nourished to health, all her shots and spayed so we could adopt her back and bring her home for Tim as his Christmas present. She loves Tim to pieces and the feeling is mutual. She spends her mornings with me in the home office bird watching while I work. She’ll chill on the couch with Scot in the evenings but all other times she is with Tim.

Happy Birthday In Heaven Popsie...

There's not a day that goes by where we don't think about and miss you.  We were incredibly blessed to have all the years that we had with you and we will cherish those memories of you always.  While family gatherings just aren't the same anymore with you not here we know you are loving being with Jesus and Nan and all of your loved ones that have gone on before you.  Party hard with them all today and give them all hugs from us.  We love you & wish you the Happiest of Birthdays in Heaven Popsie!  

#gonebutnotforgotten #cherishingthememories #familyiseverything 

What a Resemblance....

Everyone always talks about how much Tim looks like Scot because when you see the old pics of Scot it looks like he just spit Tim out as a duplicate of himself...LOL! When you look at this picture you can't deny that he also looks a lot like me as well...LOL! Tim really got a great mix of Scot and I.  Now I can say, "he's definitely mine...LOL!"  

Success...

Truth!!!

Then & Now...

1st Pic was taken the year I graduated High School!

Luke 1:49 (ESV)...

The Best Coaches...

Tim has been blessed to have a coach like this in the sport that he is doing now.  His coaches resolve to help his team be the best they can possibly be in such a positive way has been huge for Tim.  He's had such negative coaches throughout the years and it has been a breath of fresh air to have a coach that really is in his corner and is all about what is best for Tim.  He's not ego/pride driven and that has been such a huge thing for Tim.  

Coaches that are consumed with their own ego's, that make decisions about their students/team based on their own pride, are not coaches that you want for your kids or even yourself.  They will break you down and tear you apart just because of their own ego/pride.  You might ask, How do you know?  Because we have lived it with coaches in the other sport that Tim used to do.  

The Bible tells us that PRIDE GOES BEFORE A FALL!  Believe me when I tell you that it might take some time but that fall will happen if you are with a coach that is full of ego and is prideful.  It's unfortunate that the coaches aren't the ones taking the falls but their students/team are the ones that take the falls for their ego/pride.  There's no consistency of winning with a coach of that nature.  They talk a good game but, in the end, being with coaches like that will result in loss over loss for the competitor/student/team.  It results in a mental breakdown of the student/team overall.  The biggest way, that I have seen, of how to know if a coach is falling because of their ego and pride will be by looking at how their students/team are doing overall.  If only a few are winning, and they aren't consistent wins, then the win/loss ratio tells that coaches story.  If there is no positive reinforcement and all you hear is negative coming out of the coaches/team/students mouth that tells the coaches story too.  A competitor/team regurgitates what has been put into them by their coach.  If you go into a sport with your eyes wide open and know what to look for you will know pretty quickly if you should stay or move on before you get too invested into the coach/team your kid or yourself are a part of.  The signs were all there for us and we stayed longer than we ever should have in Tim's old sport. 

Now, Tim's the strongest mentally that he's ever been because of his weightlifting coach.  His coach focus's on the positives and not the negatives.  He doesn't dwell on things but presses on.  He's more about the long game and not the short game.  He's doesn't tear his team apart if they go to a Meet and don't bring home medals.  He focus's on how to help them make forward progress so that they can earn a medal at a Meet in the future.  He doesn't dog them about what they've done wrong but praises them for what they're doing right and corrects them with positive reinforcement where needed.  He's great about pulling Tim out of his comfort zone because he sees the version of Tim that Tim can't see yet. 

THAT,

MY FRIENDS,

IS A GREAT COACH!!!

Acts 20:35 (ESV)...

Footnote taken from NIV Life Application Bible:

These words of Jesus are not recorded in the Gospels.  Obviously, not all of Jesus' words were written down (John 21:25 - "Now there are also many other things that Jesus did.  Were everyone of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.").  This saying may have been passed on orally through the apostles.

Nahum 1:7 (NLT)...

The relationship we have with God is up to us.  To those who love Him, His mercy is a refuge, supplying all their needs without diminishing His supply.  To those who refuse to believe or trust in Him, God's punishment is like an angry fire.  What kind of relationship will you choose?

Yesterday's Dental Appt for Tim...

Tim had his 6 month checkup yesterday.  He is doing a fantastic job with his brushing.  The hygienist was thrilled that he's doing so great.  she was like most kids his age don't do as well as he's doing.  I told her that I hound him about making sure he's brushing his teeth properly...LOL!  He did, however, have a small developmental cavity.  What that means is that Tim had a grooved area in one of his back teeth that food could easily get trapped in which caused a soft spot which caused a cavity.  His dentist assured me it was nothing he did wrong because he's doing great on his care of his teeth.  What was even better was that he could take care of it right then without our having to return for another appointment.  It was Tim's first Tim having to have any work done and the dentist didn't think about explaining the whole process to him before he did it😳.  After getting over the shock of not having it all explained Tim was like that wasn't all that bad but I just wish he'd told me what was happening instead of just doing it...LOL!   He mad it 17 1/2 years with no cavities🙌🙌🙌!!!  

That's way better than most on my side of the family have done.  It's definitely better than I did.  I was really young when I had my first cavities.  Back then because they were baby teeth they'd pull them and put in spacers until the adult tooth grew in.  My parents didn't push us like I've pushed Tim to brush his teeth.  we are doing things right with him so that he won't have the teeth problems that I've had all of my life.  If my parents had done better with us kids my teeth would be in an all together better place than they've been.  But my parents were dirt poor and they could scarcely put food on the table at times much less buy tooth brushes and toothpaste for all us kids to brush our teeth.  Dental visits were free because we were getting government assistance.  And Government assistance didn't give you free tooth brushes or tooth paste.  just food stamps, free cheese, Peanut butter & powdered milk.  That's just how it was with poor folks back when I was growing up. 

I'm so thankful that Tim's not ever had to have those experiences and that we've been able to help him take great care of his teeth all these years.  He will have much better teeth in his adult years than I have had.  I'm ever so thankful that we've not had to raise him how I was raised.  I'm thankful that we have had the funds to take proper care of Tim's teeth.  Thank you Lord for your many blessings to us!  

Matthew 5:16 (NLT)...

"Light Shines Because It Is Its Nature To Shine!"  

~Jesse Duplantis 

" A Changed Life Must Become In Turn A Life Changer!"

~Jesse Duplantis

"Light Is Spread From Person To Person In Order To Kindle The Gospel!" ~Jesse Duplantis

Footnote From the NIV Version of the Life Application Bible(v.14-16):

Can you hide a city that is sitting on top of a hill?  It's light at night can be seen for miles.  If we live for Christ we will glow like lights, showing others what Christ is like.  We hide our light by 1) being quiet when we should speak, 2) going along with the crowd, 3)denying the light, 4) letting sin dim our light, 5) not explaining our light to others, or 6) ignoring the needs of others.  

Be  A  Beacon  of  Truth  -  Don't  Shut  Your  Light  Off  From  The  Rest  of  The  World!

Tim's 2024-2025 Yearbook from LCHA (Lighthouse Christian Homeschool Association) Is Here...

Tim received his yearbook today and he was thrilled with it.  It is one of the best yearbooks that Lighthouse has put out to date.

Point of Life Quote...

Isaiah 60:1 (NLT)...

As we read these promises, we long for their fulfillment.  But we must patiently wait for God's timing.  He is in control of history, and He weaves together all our lives into His plan.  

Luke 12:40 (NLT)...

Footnotes from NIV Life Application Bible:

Christ's return at an unexpected time is not a trap, a trick by which God hopes to catch us off guard.  In fact, God is delaying His return so more people will have the opportunity to follow Him.  Before Christ's return, we have time to live out our beliefs and to reflect Jesus' love as we relate to others.

People who are ready for their Lord's return are 1) not hypocritical, but sincere (12:1), 2) not fearful, but ready to witness (12:4-9), 3) not worried, but trusting (12:25,26), 4) not greedy, but generous (12:34), 5) not lazy, but diligent (12:37).  May your life be more like Christ's so that when He comes, you will be ready to greet Him joyfully.    

Proverbs 31:30 (NLT)...

Matthew 16:24 (NLT)...

 

Footnotes from NIV Life Application Bible:

(16:24)When Jesus used this picture of his followers taking up their crosses to follow Him, the disciples knew what He meant.  Crucifixion was a common Roman method of execution, and condemned criminals had to carry their crosses thought the streets to the execution site.  Following Jesus, therefore, meant a true commitment, the risk of death, and no turning back.  

Matthew 10:39 (NIV) says, "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."  

(10:39)This verse is a positive and negative statement of the same truth; clinging to this life may cause us to forfeit the best from Christ in this world and in the next.  The more we love this life's rewards (leisure, power, popularity, financial security), the more we will discover how empty they really are.  The best way to enjoy life, therefore, is to loosen our greedy grasp on earthly rewards so that we can be free to follow Christ.  In doing so, we will inherit eternal life and begin at once to experience the benefits of following Christ.  

2 Year Anniversary @ Athletic Lab Weightlifting Club...

This is Athletic Labs Motto!

2 years ago today Tim began his Elite Olympic Weightlifting journey @ Athletic Lab Weightlifting Club.  He hasn't looked back at the TKD sparring world that he left behind except to see how his old teammates are doing in their competitions.  Everything has been full steam ahead from day 1 of changing sports.  He's the happiest we've seen ever him and that warms mine and his dads heart to no end.  He has such an amazing relationship with his coach, Jarrod Nobbe, too.  It's the best coach relationship he's ever had.  

To this date since making the change to Olympic Weightlifting he's gotten 2 Youth Gold medals/1 Junior Gold medal/1 Open Gold Medal/1 Best Youth Male Athlete Plaque @ States (WSO Carolina's Championships),  2 Youth Gold medals @ Athletic Lab's local Meets, 1 Junior Gold Medal at Barbells-N-Sprinkles local Meet, 3 Youth Silver medals @ The Arnold/VWS1 meet.  His Meet PR's to date are 90kg/198# in Snatch and 117kg/257# in Clean & Jerk.  His has had a great two years in the sport so far and he's still loving it.  

Now we are working on time management (making sure he's getting enough recovery time) and diet (eating the right things - lots of protein - is key to his future in this sport) so that he can be at his optimum level going forward because he moves to Juniors January 1, 2026.  

It's so wonderful that he gets to eat now but eating the right things is what he needs to be doing (he's been making up for lost time when he couldn't be a kid eating what he wanted to eat...LOL!!). Being able to eat and make gains has been huge for Tim.  He's gained so much muscle mass in the two years he's been in this sport that he doesn't even look like the same kid that was doing TKD sparring.  That's mostly because he's not having to cut weight all the time now and be so skinny just to be able to compete with competitors that are closer to his size in height.  

What a huge difference two years makes when you make a switch that makes better sense for your kid and makes them happier than they've ever been😱😊😱😊.  Of course it was totally Tim's decision to move on when we did and he was very ready for the change.  

As parents (hindsight is 20/20), we see our failure in keeping him in a sport (TKD sparring) longer than he should have been.  It's a tall persons sport and Tim at 17 is only 5'4" and to be competitive in that particular sport he would have had to stay in the 51kg weight division for like forever (which in the long run he wouldn't have been able to do) and that just wasn't what was best for his health so cutting the sport loose and moving on was the right call.  I just wish we had done it way earlier.  He was ready for a change a long time prior to us actually doing it.    

Now though, we are all so happy that we made the switch to Olympic Weightlifting when we did because he's been 5'4" for two years now.  He's in the 65kg weight division in this sport and as he gains more muscle mass doing Olympic Weightlifting he will continue to move up weight divisions.  It's just how this sport works.  It's a wonderful sport and everyone is so supportive of one another + they genuinely want to see one another doing their best.  At the end of the day they all understand and get that as a collective group we want our best athletes representing America on the International stage because we want to bring home wins for our country.  I can't say enough about how great this sport is and seeing Tim this happy is just so freaking awesome!  He's right where he wants to be and that makes all the difference in the world.  

Commitment in sports can sometimes,

Take you where you don't want to go,

Keep you longer than you want to stay,

Cost you more than you want to pay! 

(Be sure that it's a sport that #1 - you love and #2 - that you have the capability/body type for rising to the level you want to be a success at.  Being the right fit for what you are wanting to do/accomplish matters.) 

HAPPY 2 YEARS TIM!!!