Puddin Toes,in her Winter Whites !

Puddin Toes is just too kissable! Poor thing, I am going to kiss her cheeks off one of these days. It is an old Italian family tradition...usually involves some pinching of the cheeks too :]

My world today

I am enjoying the color of winter, right outside my back door. Tomorrow I hope to take you on walk around my neighborhood.

7:14 City Wide 40 Days of Prayer and Fasting

It started in Dec. when six pastors were having a monthly meeting of fellowship. After a time of worship and praise, they found they wanted more of God. Not another program, not another conference, not another...just God. They wanted just more of Him and His presence. So this season of fasting and prayer for our city was birthed. They planned to call it the 7:14 after the prayer in 2Ch. 7:14. They and their churches would corporately meet one day a week for six weeks, starting at 7:14 pm. By the end of the week the six pastor's and their churches turned into 10 then 18, by the time the first week of the 7:14 meetings started there were 20 plus pastors and their churches involved. By week two, we had 30 pastors and their churches participating. So we started Jan. 4th and for the next six weeks we are meeting for one hour to pray for our churches, our city, and our country. The churches that are coming together on this are from many denominational backgrounds. We are seeking to walk in unity were we can all agree on the foundational basics of our faith in Jesus Christ.

The first meeting at Central United Protestant there was an estimated 500 people that showed up. It was a powerful first meeting with our brothers and sisters in Christ. There was such a sense of expectancy and hope. The prayer and worship was powerful. I especially loved it when we broke into small groups to pray with those we didn’t know from other churches, for our churches, city and country. The second meeting was estimated to be over 650, many didn’t make it in, because the church was too small. Nobody saw this coming. They quickly made arrangements to reschedule the next three meetings to be held in the largest churches in the city. The third meeting, Kennewick First Baptist was full, with a seating capacity of 900. We will have our final meeting at our local convention center on a Sunday night.

Last week at the third meeting something significant happened that I can’t stop thinking and praying about. It was at the end of the meeting when all the prayers had been prayed, the songs had been sung, and we were about to be dismissed, when a local pastor of a Baptist church got up with a young woman beside him. She was obviously nervous and contrite. He told us that this young woman was a member of his church and that she was woken up by the Lord the night before, and was given a message to deliver for this meeting. She came to him and he brought it before the rest of the city pastors and they all agreed this was a prophetic word for our meetings. She spoke out of Ezekiel 8. It was a major call to the body of Christ in the Tri Cities to repent. It was so powerful. There was not a corporate response at the time, just a few individuals. I don’t think the pastors quite knew what to do. It almost felt like God was saying to us, are you really serious, because if you are, this is where it starts, in the house of God, with full blown heart felt repentance. I hope and pray at the next meeting this will be re-addressed. I know from those I pray with and have talked to, there has been a response through out various small prayer groups that have been meeting this week. I teach and lead a group of college age students on Tuesdays, and after an hour and a half of those kids balling their eyes out in heart felt repentance, I had to drag them out of the sanctuary and start class. This is not normal. This is not a normal event. I really do believe God is calling His bride at this season, especially in our city as we have set to seek His face. I have a very special friend who lives in Portland OR and she has asked for us to please pray that this will spread. We live in the most un-churched region of our nation. Oh God, please bring revival, start here and let it spread through out our nation.

The feel about this season of corporate prayer and fasting is such a sense of awe. No one man or church orchestrated this. Nobody has taken it over or pushed their agenda. Each meeting is hosted by several churches working together. It seems almost a miracle in this day and age. It is just simply God, calling His people to come, come to Him. It is a beginning …

2Ch 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.



I will be posting updates about these meetings.

My Pastor's wife has also blogged about this on Just Being Me.

Winter Garden

Burrrrr it is cold out there. It was 17 degrees outside today, but I couldn't resist a few quick pictures as the sun was setting and lighting up our barren bleak desert.
Rather lovely in it's own way though.

Front courtyard with a wisp of snow

What is Spirituality

There is a great discussion going on at Coffee Talk with john paul. First try and answer this question yourself.

"In today’s culture there is a crescendo in the use of the term “spirituality.” So what is spirituality? Is the Dali Lama, Marianne Williamson, Anthony Robins, Wayne Dyer, or even Opra spiritual? Do we have the ability to become spiritual on our own? What are the qualities of a spiritual person?"

Think about it, then try writing your definition down. Not so easy to define huh? Then pop on over to Coffee Talk and see what others are saying, and John Paul’s answers. Very interesting!
(See Jan. 16th for others answers, Jan. 18th for John Paul's)

National Tea Month

Who knew? I just found out on another blog, that January is National Tea Month. So here goes, I have a big confession to make, even thought I live in the world renowned coffee reinvented Pacific Northwest. I am a huge tea junky. That is right my friends, I know, I know, I hear the gasping coming all the way from Seattle to this side of the state. I do like a cup of coffee several times a week when on the run and need a quick hit of caffeine. Or with chocolate, pretty awesome combination. Definitely around here Starbucks is the place to hang with your friends. Even our church, God bless them, has an espresso bar basically in our sanctuary, (that will have to be another blog) and takes a long coffee break right after the worship service. We have coffee tables to sit at instead of pews. Seriously,only here in the P.N.W! It is quite wonderful really. But, if I am completely honest, I must openly admit, tea suits the inner me. I like the ceremony of tea, the contemplative mood it puts me in. I love that people in major tea drinking countries, all stop to have a cuppa every afternoon. They are so civilized.

Me having "Tea" in England. Every castle, and garden we visited had a "Tea Room"

The Tea Room at Kiftsgate

You can’t have a proper cup of tea in a paper cup handed to you by the drive-through attendant. It will taste completely horrid, ambience, and mood enhancer, I don’t think so. My wonderful husband has caught on to that one. If he sees I am not having the best of days…he brings me tea on a tray, brewed to perfection, to sooth my ruffled nerves. So, I will tell all. I have much more of a tea hoard than I have ever dared to expose before today. Teas, teapots, tea caddies, teaspoons (special ones), tiny decorated sugar cubes, tea cozy's, teacups, all the paraphernalia really. I even have special tea cookies that I bake seasonally to freeze for that special cup of tea to be shared with a friend. Seriously, cranberry shortbread cookies for winter, lavender shortbread for summer. Geez, I feel like I am coming out...it is kind of fun. I have so many teapots, they are mostly in storage. My husband has brought me teapots from all around the world when he traveled. My poor children will some day inherit all this. Oh the poor darlings have had their share. We have had tea parties for every occasion know to childhood, Birthday teas, Teddy Bear teas, Sunflower Playhouse teas, Dolly teas, Christmas Tea, Last Day of School tea…poor things.

All that wonderfulness, and now they are saying antioxidants are one of teas greatest health benefits. Who knew?

So here is my show & tell all

This one I believe is from Tajikistan

Russia

The last one Dan brought home, It was an airport pickup
A few more Russian Teapots, aren't they lovely?
I carried this one home in my carry-on from England

I bought this for Megan in London

One of my mom's

This is Jenna's special teacup

This is my everyday tea service

Very special teas from a friend

Bliss

The last bouquet of roses I picked from my previous garden

When the roses start to bloom and the scent of heaven is in the air, it waifs into the very rooms of my soul. My head floats into the realm of scented bliss.

It seems I get very sappy and poetic over roses.

I have been dreaming about what new roses to plant this year. I get really antsy for my garden just about now. So the next best thing to being “In My Garden” is dreaming about what I am going to plant in my garden. I must admit, it has gotten off to a fairly good start, this brand new little piece of earth. This year I should be picking oodles of roses.

So while I keep dreaming and contemplating about what new roses to plant, here is a quick peak at some of the roses I have already planted. I believe I have about 50 roses in the ground here. I only have room for a few more...sad. My last garden had over a 100. So I have definitely downsized, don't ya think?

The roses I have found quick pic's for here are 90% English Roses, which are a glorious mix of old garden roses for style and scent, and modern roses, which bloom longer and more frequently.

I will write a real post soon...I promise :]

Abraham Darby
St. Swithun
Zepherine Drouhin

I planted two of these climbers in honor of my granddaughter's birth.

The rose is called EDEN

Lavender Lassie
Sharifa Asma
Mary Rose
Sombreuil
A Shropshire Lad
Constance Spry
Climbing Cecile Brunner