Turned the TV down...

Not what you are thinking....

I just turned down the opportunity to speak on WBOC for a segment that they are doing on a "Christians moral obligation to pay taxes". They wanted me to speak about what the bible has to say about that.

And that is why I turned it down... besides the story of Jesus and Peter and the fish and coin to pay taxes and the religious leaders trying to trip Jesus up... when they asked him if it was right to pay taxes to Caesar, there really isn't much else in the bible that speaks to this issue.

By the way, Jesus tells the religious leaders that we are to give to Caesar what is Caesars and to give to God what is his.

And Paul talks about being obligated to pay our taxes in Romans 13.

If you were asked to talk about this in front of a tv camera, what would you say?

Teams forming to Bless our Community...

Here are the ways we are beginning to develop teams to bless our community.

+ Habitat for Humanity Work Group

+ Working with Homeless Ministries

+ Install a new bathroom floor for Stacy

+ Visit Shut-ins and group homes

+ promote "eco-justice" issues

+ help Stacy with mowing, yard work

+ Parents Night Out

+ The Everybody Playspace Walk, Run, Stroller Strut (May 16 - 10 a.m.) Cost $25 by May 6.

Several values will be lived out in these teams and activities... 1. Serving our community in Jesus name, 2. Strengthening Relational Connections with each other and with our community, 3. Sharing God's love.

The old has gone and the new has come...

What a transformation! The above pictures tell the story. The pulpit that was in the church building that we bought in May 2007 has now become a hospitality center thanks to some hard work on the part of several folks. Bob Good and Carol Replogle gave LOTS of elbow grease to take the white paint off. Dick Todd took the nails out of the hardwood floor that adorned the stage. And Jim Replogle and Frank Potvin crafted the new top out of the hardwood floor boards from the stage and made the doors and drawers. Now it sits once again in the Ministry Center and will be used as a hospitality center where we will serve Common Grounds Coffee and some fruit juice on Sunday mornings.

WOW!

A Dream Comes True....

Spent some time today helping Frank and Tri get the coffee shop ready for tonight's preview. At 8 a.m. this morning, no one would have guessed it would look like it does now at 3:44 p.m.! It is amazing what many hands with differing talents can do!

At 8, the carpenters were finishing the punch list items, loading trash and making dust! The Barista trainer was busy training the employees. Frank and I were hanging the 52 inch lcd tv. Tri was tracking down the lighting that was yet to be installed. A little later, the lighting arrived, the electricians came in force and we began cleaning in earnest. By the time Jim and Carol came to do some prep work in the kitchen area, it was looking like a place about to be shown to the church and friend community. And when Doug arrived, it was ready for the final primping...

I am so excited for these guys and their families. I almost feel like I've given birth!

I pray God's blessing on this venture and that he will use it to impact many lives for the Kingdom of Jesus!

(I'd like to show pictures, but promised that I wouldn't!) You will just have to check it out or check back in a week or so when I get the okay to show it off in some pics!)

Blessing Others....

It's been a week of blessing others for me... trying to get our congregation headed in that direction individually and in teams. We are blessed by God to be a blessing to others! On Sunday, we will focus on organizing teams to do begin working at this.

As with everything, I try to live what I encourage us as a congregation to do... Have enjoyed blessing others this week. I have had fun helping the coffee shop to make final preparations for opening soon! In addition, today, I took Stacy's van to get new tires... when I picked it up from her, she mentioned that the oil has never been changed since she owned the van...so we added that to the list. Then on the way there, I noticed that it BADLY needed alignment...so we got that added as well. I was originally going to wait, but thankfully took some work along too...So, I walked to the Ministry Center to work and wait. When 11 a.m. came and I hadn't heard, I walked back to find out what was happening... the power was out and they couldn't finish the work. So, I went back to the MC to work more. Finally around 3 I got it home to Stacy with 4 new tires, a life-time alignment and fresh oil.

Then I ran over to see why Richard's phone was not working... got that fixed and now he has a phone in his new apartment!

Blessing others takes time and doesn't always happen like we think it will...but it is what we are called to do!

And it will transform the world we live in faster than anything else!

Performing the Gospel...

Here is a quote from Scot McKnight's book "Embracing Grace"... "A local church always performs the gospel it proclaims. This may sound odd, so let me emphasize the world "always". A church always performs the gospel it proclaims because its performance is its proclamation. If you look at a church and what it does and how it operates you will see the gospel of that church. The important point to make here is that the deepest indicator of that church's gospel cannot be limited to the pastor's sermons or the Sunday school teacher's teaching or the doctrinal statement's affirmations, or the summer camp offerings, of the aesthetic expressions. The sure indicator of the gospel in a local community is how those Christians live."

Now here is Scot's definition of gospel... "The gospel is the work of God to restore humans to union with God and communion with others, in the context of a community, for the good of others and the world."

Sounds like the kind of things I am hoping, encouraging, and leading Community of Joy to be about! Performing (living) the gospel so that others see God and are drawn to his healing love in Jesus and are encouraged to help God's kingdom become a reality on earth as it is in heaven!

Just like old times...

Spent most of the day today helping Frank and Tri at the soon to open Coffee Shop! It was FUN and just like old times when the three of us worked on things at the ministry center to get it ready to open. Brought back lots of memories for me!

It also is neat to be part of a dream coming into existence! This is going to be such a neat place to connect with people and to contribute in positive ways to the condition of our world. The Fair Trade concept means that the price that is paid for the coffee is fair to the farmer who grows it and doesn't exploit them. The green aspect will keep our landfills less full and our environment less toxic!

Here are a few pics of a dream about to become reality! Can't wait! (I went back in the evening to help clean and put out the machines... the top pic is the end of the day and the second pic is earlier in the afternoon!)

Thanks Tri and Frank for allowing me the pleasure of being part of this dream!

Taking steps toward impact and blessing!

For the past few weeks, I have asked participants at Community of Joy to keep their eyes open and take notice of the needs they see in our community; ways we can bless others.

Yesterday in both worship gatherings, we brainstormed a list. Here are the results. I am inviting the congregation to do two things with this list. 1. Pray over it asking God where they individually would best make an impact. and 2. Come to the carry-in on Sunday @ 12 noon prepared to share where they feel God leading them to get involved. We will need team leaders and team members. I am aware that we can not do the whole list at once.... but I want us to start moving out into our community to bless them with God's love.

The list...

+ Get involved with Habitat for Humanity locally (perhaps choose a Saturday a month to send a team to work)
+ Parnter with Pinehurst Elementary School (it's in our neighborhood) Mary Kay Morgan is talking to the Principal there to ascertain the needs.
+ visit homeless in their environment
+ Install a new bathroom floor for Stacy Habig - have team members need team leader.
+ Visit Shut ins
+ develop support systems for neighbors or others who are going through illness/ or elderly (run errands)
+ mentor children in public schools
+develop a day center for helping our homeless brothers and sisters break the cycle.
+develop a support network for folks who lost jobs
+ develop a support network for persons about to loose or having lost homes
+develop a SU type "Big Event" where we solicit work projects from our neighbors and participants
+ promote "eco-justice" issues -- care of environment
+ help Stacy Habig with mowing, yard work

The list is not complete... it can be added to as you see needs.

Basking in God's Goodness...

Yesterday and today, I am basking in God's goodness! It is so wonderful to experience all the ways that God is guiding and providing! It is also so awesome to be part of a group of people who are serious about being the hands and feet of Jesus. Serious about blessing the world with God's love!

I am enjoying these moments!

Simply Incredible...

That group of people known as Community of Joy, they take seriously the call of Jesus "to love your neighbor as yourself"... all day today people from the congregation and beyond called, emailed, texted to see what Richard needed for his new place.

I told him that he should stay home today so that he could be around when people stopped by, because I had an inkling that many would. And as I thought, he had a steady stream of visitors all bringing gifts!

Trash can, trash bags, toilet brush, cleaners, milk, coffee, bread, laundry detergent, dish washing detergent, two chairs, a tv, a microwave, pots and pans, bed frame, dishes, glasses, silverware, and on and one... INCREDIBLE!

So cool to be part of a body of people who take following Jesus seriously!

The rewards of being neighborly...

I write this not to toot my horn or pat my back, but to share the story of what God is doing in our midst at Community of Joy. For two weeks in February we hosted a homeless men's shelter in our ministry center. For the second year, we hosted some of the same guys... one - Richard, this year seemed ready to break out of the prison of homelessness and today he made the final step! ALL PRAISE TO GOD!

Richard has been working with a caseworker, has a new payee, is doing Celebrate Recovery, and has been attending worship every week at Community of Joy and will soon be baptised and join the church. This week I spent most of the hours of the week with Richard helping him navigate the waters of getting into his own apartment. He is now a resident at a senior housing apartment here in Salisbury and is VERY happy in his one bedroom apartment.

Monday morning we got word that he would be allowed to apply since the age limit dropped from 62 to 55. But Monday night we learned that he was denied residency. On Tuesday, I spent many hours talking with the manager, composing an appeal letter with Richard, and getting the other necessary support letters together to advocate on his behalf. On Wednesday, I wanted/needed to get away and enjoy the spring day, so on my way out of town, I dropped off the packet we assembled for his appeal process. The managers are so sweet. They fast tracked it and got the regional manager to approve his move and he didn't even need to go to before the appeal board. That was a miracle in itself that it happened so fast! I was shocked when he called me already on Wednesday night to say he was in. Thursday, we thought he was meeting with the manager and paying his deposit and making preparations to move in... but the case worker didn't meet Richard. Today, word came that they needed his birth certificate to complete the application process. Richard was born in Illinois and getting a certificate could take several weeks. I no sooner hung up with Richard, when the manager called to say that they would accept a letter from Social Security verifying his age. So, Richard and I spent an hour and a half waiting in line at Social Security to get that letter. We then took it to the apartment complex and they put the packet together to go to the compliance office. The said it might take several days to get a response.

Just in case it would be approved today, at 11:44, I picked up a check from his payee (HALO) for the deposit and the pro-rated rent for this month. The treasurer was leaving at 12 noon. Then about 1 p.m. Richard called to ask if I heard anything. I hadn't, but no sooner had we hung up then the apartment manager called and said he was in and could move in today! WOW!!!!!!!!!

I grabbed the checks and set off to find Richard. We then went to get some groceries from the Ministry Center (even took him a 6 pack of green tea) and I grabbed a mattress and box set we had here at our house for him. Then we went to pay the rent and sign the lease. The lease papers were worse than a mortgage, but an hour and a half later that was done. While he was working on the parts I couldn't help with, I ran to the Townsend's to get some brand new towels, sheets, and kitchen utensils, a lamp, covers and toilet paper, paper towels and tissues. Then after getting all that situated in his new place, we went by the shelter at St Peters to get his clothes and then delivered them.

While we were in the office at the apartment, the one manager who had worked so hard on his behalf and who had left for the week at lunchtime, called back to see how we were progressing! What a sweet heart!

I am getting all kinds of people from our congregation, who responded to an email that I sent out about the situation, letting me know what they have to offer him by way of furnishings. And one even mentioned bringing him a "house-warming gift" on Sunday. What a sweet thought!

God has moved in some amazing ways and I am delighted to be part of what he is doing!

Yeah God! And Yeah Richard!

A conversation on CHURCH...

When we moved into our new building at Community of Joy, I didn't and still don't want us calling it a church. We are the church! The building is NOT the church. It is the ministry center. Here is a quote from Reggie McNeal's book that goes along this line of thinking...

"... we need to change the conversation about the church from "What is it?" to "Who is it?". As long as we keep the discussion tied to its "Whatness," we will keep the leadership efforts focused on building better institutions and limit ministry to those individuals who choose or are able to participate in an attractional program. If we can shift the discussion to "who", we can be free to explore how the church shows up wherever followers of Jesus live, work, and play. Efforts can shift to community and incarnational expressions of Jesus in all sectors of the culture."

I think Reggie is right on and we desperately need to make this shift. Think of the impact it will have on the world. We are the hands and feet of Jesus and are sent into the world to share his love and life with everyone!

More thoughts on Missional living...

Another quote from Reggie McNeals' book....

"The missional life shows up in every endeavor, because the church has been sent by God into the world to reflect his heart for the world. This is what it means to be on mission with God, partnering with God. It is not a mission that is pursued as something added to daily life, something outside the normal range of activity, a quest to do something beyond your life's assignments. It is a way of seeing oneself as partnering with God in daily life, executing the mundane as well as pursuing the sublime, with an intentionality of blessing people and sharing the life of God with them."

Some more thoughts on church...

From Reggie McNeal's book Missional Renaissance....

"The missional church is not a what but a who. When we think of church in what mode, we focus on something that exists apart from people, some "out there" that people join and attend and support. We try, then, to build great churches, believing that this is God's primary strategy to engage the world. Inevitably, this preoccupation leads to discussions of how we can "do church" better. Thinking about church in who mode focuses on what it means to be the people of God. The central task is developing great followers of Jesus, believing that God has created people to demonstrate his redemptive intentions to the world in and through them. This perspective frames an agenda so that the community of faith may encourage all its members to be faithful to God and to his mission as they live out being the church in the world."

"The missional church believes it is God who is on mission and that we are to join him in it. As Bishop Leslie Newbigin says, 'It seems to me to be of great importance to insist that mission is not first of all an action of ours. It is an action of God.'"

Impact Blessing...

From early in the Bible, God tells his people that they are blessed to be a blessing. They are sent to be a blessing to others in the world.

What if we, the church, instead of having an "evangelism strategy" adopted a blessing strategy... what if we decided that each day we were going to bless someone with God's love by doing something nice/helpful for them?

What if we, the church, decided that we were going to go into the community to bless others that we find along the way? Would it make a difference?

I am confident it would! In a BIG way!

I recognize that the first step to adopting this blessing strategy is prayer... we need to ask God to give us his eyes and his heart to see the needs and to love the people we see as God sees and loves them. So, to help this... I am suggesting that we begin prayer walking in our neighborhoods and as we do, we ask God to open our eyes and hearts to the needs, hurts, and joys of the people who live in our community. Or how about Prayer-scaping... which is asking God the same things as we do whatever we do each day... drive around, shop, eat in coffee shops, wherever we find ourselves we can seek God's eyes and heart for the people around us....

I read a story the other day about John, who decided that he would ask the baristas in the Starbucks that he frequented a question, "How can I ask God to bless you?" After the initial reluctance and a few days of this practice, the baristas began opening up to this John and meaningful relationships developed that were a blessing to all. John then shared his excitement with his small group from church and they began doing the same in Starbucks shops that they frequented. One day John was in a Starbucks about 13 blocks from where he usually went and he asked his standard question and was amazed when the barista pulled back the coffee cup and asked him, "Are you one of those blessing people?"

Wouldn't it be awesome for the church to be known as the Blessing People!?

Check out this video and song....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OihvG607W-c

Some thoughts on Kingdom Impact and Church

I am reading Reggie McNeal's book "Missional Renaissance: Changing the Scorecard for the Church." And it is timely in light of the Impact Ministries we want to develop at Community of Joy... where we encourage teams of people to see needs and meet needs as expressions of God's love and avenues for developing and deepening relationships.

Here are some quotes that support this move...

"In a kingdom oriented worldview, the target of God's redemptive love is the world, not the church ("For God so loved the WORLD," Jesus said; not for God so loved the church). This means that God is always at work in the world, not just in the church, prosecuting his redemptive mission. His efforts are not shrink-wrapped down to church activity, nor is he hamstrung in his progress by waiting for the church to join him in what he is doing."

"A Kingdom oriented approach seeks to leverage the gospel into people's lives right where they live, work, and play. The church is wherever followers of Jesus are. People don't go to church, they are the church. They don't bring people to church, the bring the church to people." This idea goes right along with our idea that the body of people is the church not the building. The building is our Ministry Center not church!

"When the Church thinks it's the destination, it also confuses the scorecard. It thinks that if people are hovering around and in the church, the church is winning. The truth is, when that's the case, the church is really keeping people from where they want to go, form their real destination. That destination is life.... the church is the connector, linking people to the kingdom life that God has for them. Substituting church activity as the preferred life expression is as weird as believing that airports are more interesting than the destination they serve."

Some more DC pics

Great Day at DC Central Kitchen and In DC!

I got up at 3:30 a.m. on Saturday to join 16 other folks from Community of Joy to travel to DC to work in the DC Central Kitchen, where we helped prepared meals for the 4500 people in DC that they feed each day.

We worked hard and had lots of fun... some prepared salad, some cut giant hot dogs and some cut tenderloin. Always an enjoyable and satisfying experience.

Then we toured the new Capitol Visitors Center and enjoyed some time in Union Station. Some stayed on for coffee and worship at Ebeneezers.

Long but great day!

THANKS Once Again!

We had some stones delivered to the ministry center on Wednesday morning.... 22.07 tons of them! The driver did a good job of spreading them as we wanted them, however he couldn't get them exactly as we needed them. So, after several hours of back breaking shoveling, I decided to call Jimmie Harris of Custom Brickwork, Inc... 443.235.3270 to see if we could hire him to help spread the stones. Well, you might remember that Jimmie helped us one other time. When I told him who I was... he said absolutely he would help and when I asked about paying him, he would have nothing of it... he said that "the Lord provided him the equipment and this was the Lord's work and that was why he was here to do the Lord's work!" What a great guy! Jimmie not only worked into the dark on Thursday night (we stood talking until near dark before he began), but he wasn't satisfied with the job, so he said he'd be back in the morning today. When I went by the Ministry Center around 9:30, John, Jimmie's employee, was there finishing the work. John had the same attitude that Jimmie had about doing the Lord's work!

They did an AWESOME job! Many thanks to Jimmie and John! If you need any concrete or brick work done, give them a call!

Thanks too, to Jim Replogle for bringing his lawn roller and allowing me to use it to pack the stones. Hopefully this is a big improvement to the Ministry Center property!

Looks Good... Might NOT Be!

Just because it looks good, doesn't mean that it is!

I saw a pair of geese recently that are in the beginning stages of nesting. That is happening a lot this time of year. The problem is that the place where they are choosing to set up shop looks good, but in the end it will be the death of their little ones, unless someone steps in and releases them.

You see, they are setting up shop in an enclosed storm water run off catch pond. It is about 35 by 35 with a 10 foot chain link fence around it. The enclosure has all the ingredients that geese need... water, protection, grass. However, the problem is that once the little ones hatch, they can't get out of the enclosure until they can fly and that is a long time in the process.

Just because something looks good, doesn't mean that it is! We can avoid such situations if we take a few moments to think through the downside or if we ask ourselves the "best question ever"... Is it wise?!

Impact.

At Community of Joy, we want to make a positive impact on our neighborhood, community and world. We also want to be a place where relationships matter! And the first step in making relationships matter is knowing who each other is... getting acquainted, finding a place where you belong.

In the next few weeks we will begin a process that seeks to accomplish both of those priorities at once! We want to know where you see places that we can impact our community by making a difference. For instance, we can form a Habitat for Humanity work group that will work on a local project each month or we could identify a neighbor who is unable to do yard work and form a team to do the work, or we could.... (you name it, literally!) We want to start collecting ideas and then see who would be willing to lead a team to both make an impact and to form relationships that matter!

So start looking, jot down what you see and be prepared to share ideas and to form teams to accomplish these ideas.

Two of our core values inform this desire....

We believe that loving relationships should permeate every aspect of community life.

We believe that serving others is an expression of our love for God and for God’s children.

Out of the Blue this dropped in my lap....

Today, I had a monthly pastors meeting (area 1 CoB Pastors). We have been reading a book on evangelism and discussing it. Out of the blue... someone started talking about this skit they had seen/heard recently concerning the Lord's Prayer. (if you haven't read the previous post, you should read it before this one.)

Someone gave me a copy. It is too long to type in it's entirety here, but I will share the first page of 6.

"Our Father who art in heaven."
"Yes"
"Don't interrupt me. I'm praying."
But you called ME!
Called you? No, I didn't call you.
I'm praying. Our Father who art in heaven.

There, you did it again!

Did what?
Called ME!
You said, "Our Father who art in heaven."
Well, here I am.
What's on your mind?

But I didn't mean anything by it.
I was, you know, just saying my prayers for the day.
I always say the Lord's Prayer.
It makes me feel good, kind of like fulfilling a duty.

Well, all right. Go on.

Okay, Hallowed be thy name...
Hold on right there. What do you mean by that?

By What?

By hallowed be thy name?

It means, it means ... good grief, I don't know what it means. How in the world should I know? It's just part of the prayer.... (author unknown)

An affirmation that got me thinking...

On Sunday, I preached about the Lord's Prayer and as part of the service we said the Lord's prayer out loud in worship. This is not something we do too often.

After that service, I had someone affirm the use of the Lord's Prayer and then she added "because I have been concerned how our children will learn it, since we don't ever use it here."

That comment got me to thinking... is it true? Does saying the Lord's Prayer in worship teach us what Jesus was hoping to teach when he taught it to his followers? What is the purpose of saying the Lord's Prayer in worship?

(We do teach children the Lord's Prayer in our Sunday School and JoyKidz ministries.)

There is nothing wrong with saying the Lord's Prayer in worship. The danger comes when we make it something we rotely say and it has no meaning. It's the same danger that integrating anything into worship on a regular basis has. I am convinced that Jesus taught the prayer as a model prayer not as something to repeat verbatim in a worship gathering. In fact when Jesus introduced it to his followers, he said, "pray then in this manner..." not pray this prayer. What I think is important to teach is the concepts behind the prayer.

That is what the sermon was about.... Pray in a way that is relational... God wants to be your father. Pray in a way that reminds you of what God wants... his name honored and his kingdom and will to come on earth as it is in heaven. Pray in a way that reminds us that we are not the only ones inhabiting the world ... others have needs... "Give us daily bread", "Forgive us AS we forgive others." and "lead us not into temptation."

Something wrong with this picture...

Just heard on the noon news that the number of Christians in USAmerica has declined this past year. The number of people who claim no religious belief has increased. While the percentage of increase and decrease is small, there is something wrong with this picture.

If we were doing what Jesus charges us with... Loving God and Loving our neighbors, we would be seeing this trend going the other way big time!

Here's the story...http://www.wboc.com/global/story.asp?s=9971051

After the winter...

Comes Spring! That is the hope we have in this day and the hope we have in life. God created the world so that it is filled with images of death and resurrection. A grain of seed must die in order to bring forth new life. Winter must go away in order to bring forth spring. We must die to our self in order to make way and room for God to live in us and guide us.

Enjoying the beauty of this day reminds us that spring is just around the corner. No matter how cold that last week was... no matter how bleak the situation is... no matter how fierce the storm... God offers us springtime. A time filled with new life, new possibilities, hope!

Enjoy the newness God offers!

On Holy Ground....

Right now at Community of Joy, I feel like we are standing on holy ground! And I appreciate so much the opportunity God has given us to be there.

I see lives getting excited about Jesus and who he is and what he is calling them to do and be. I see people growing in their relationship with God through prayer and reading the bible. I see deepening commitments to community life as folks join small groups and support one another in life's struggles and pain. I see new people coming and joining our worship gatherings and ministries.

It's exciting to see God at work in our lives!

Praying for a break through

I am praying today for a break through in relationship to the City of Salisbury and their willingness to be part of the solution of the growing problem of homelessness in our city. Tonight, a friend of mine has a meeting with the city council to begin the process of asking for funding to buy a building to be used as a day center and place where services can be provided in the hopes of helping some of the guys get back on their feet and off the streets.

Just recently, the Assistant City Administrator was quoted in the paper as recognizing that there are homeless people in Salisbury -- a HUGE step, because previously, the administration has turned a blind eye toward this population. She also went on record stating that the city is looking into providing such a day center where resources can be made available.

A building in a prime location for this population is now on the market. It would allow them access to public transit, they could walk there, it is in a neighborhood that the city is working in...it's just that funding is an issue. How I wish I had a couple hundred thousand to put toward it's purchase! It will be auctioned soon and wouldn't it be awesome to see it be bought for this significant ministry.


So, today, I am in prayer for this need! I pray for open ears and hearts tonight at City Council. I pray for provision of funds for the purchase of a facility. I pray for my friend as she goes into the lion's den.

Some photos...

Grateful to be alive...

Just got back from shoveling at the Ministry Center with Ronnie Foreman. As I was pulling out on Rt. 13 headed north, on a green arrow at the intersection of Rt. 13 and South Blvd... I almost met my maker! Some old guy in a van, traveling way too fast for the conditions came flying through the red light! I couldn't see him due to the Red Door Sub shop sign, that is until I was moving into the intersection and he was coming right at my door. Good thing the pavement was only wet and I could speed up to avoid being hit. The guy didn't even brake! I couldn't imagine what happened, so I looked in the rear view mirror and noticed that all of the lenses of the traffic lights were covered with snow and you could barely see that it was red.

So grateful to still be alive and able to type this! Be careful out there!

Giving to Ceasar....

Jesus said that we should give to Caesar what is Caesars! So, today, I will spend the day getting my taxes off to my accountant... late, I know! But I haven't had time to focus on it until today.

It is a task that I hate, but one that is necessary. And after two weeks of hosting a shelter for homeless men, I am grateful that I make enough to be concerned about taxes!

YEAH!

Can't wait to see how much snow we have in the morning... just got in from getting Emma from a school work party...it is snowing to beat the band!

Hope it really snows a lot!