Tired?!

Ok, I wasn't joking - I was really tired! Actually, I find the story somewhat humorous and would love to share it with you - perhaps it can give you something to laugh over as well.

Last thing I remember - it was about 5:30P.M. and Julie and her friend, Amy, were in the hallway outside of my bedroom, looking at the bookshelves, and Peter was just starting to sing at the top of his lungs....Next thing I know - I am wondering why it is dark outside? Why am I on Val's bed instead of my own? Why did I sleep in my regular clothes? Why didn't I cover Peter (my parakeet) like I always do? What time is it? What day is it? etc. ??????????????????? The answer - I had only intended to take a short nap...it turned out to be about eleven hours straight! I hadn't even awakened enough to roll over and thus spent the whole of the eleven hours sleeping on my side on top of a pocket full of nail clippers, pockets-knives, keys, and everything else and didn't even know it...until I woke up! I got up at about 4:30A.M. and now possess enough energy that I don't mind facing daily life - I think!

I plan to give the String Camp update tomorrow (Monday).

~Heidi

Sforzando String Camp 2008

We had an awesome and wonderful week of string camp, and I'll be glad to tell you all about it...in a day or two - I am simply exhausted! In fact, I am headed even now to go and take a nap! I will give a much better, much more thorough update in a little bit!

You're Invited!

FREE Awesome Concerts!
Come and Join Us!

Dr. Dwight Gustafson will be in on Friday and will be involved in the Final Concert!

I don't know whether or not the average person can read the image to the right (it was made to be printed on an 8.5 x 11 sheet of photo paper not a little image to be posted on a blog), but I thought I'd try and put it up anyway. My brother, Joe, made it and I think it is really, really nice looking!

(Click on the image for a larger, better view thereof)

For those who can't read it, and/or can't seem to get the enlarged version, here is what it says:

Sforzando String Camp 2008 Concert Guide

Faculty Recital - July 21 - 7:00 P.M.

Come listen to our wonderful faculty perform. Featuring both classical and sacred works, this recital will include pieces on violin, viola, cello, harp, and more!

Church Service - July 23 - 7:15 P.M.

Come and hear the stirring sounds of sacred works lifted in praise to our Lord. This service will close with a piece featuring all of the string camp students at once!

Morning Recital - July 25 - 10:45 A.M.

This morning program will feature the advanced chamber groups, Pre-Twinkle students, and Angel's Harp Quickstart students. Don't miss this opportunity to hear this unique variety of levels and instruments!

Final Concert - July 25 - 7:00 P.M.

A perfect way to close the week of camp, this dynamic concert will feature all three of the camp orchestras playing a variety of pieces that you will not want to miss!

- Marquette Manor Baptist Church - 333 75th St. - Downers Grove - IL - 60516 - (630) 964-5363 - MMBM.org -

For more information about the camp, visit here.

To find out about this year's faculty, click here.

Just FYI

Occasionally I will go back and post something that happened before the most recent post, which means, sometimes, if you scroll down, there will be things that are there that weren't there before I posted whatever is "most recent" and thus at the top of the blog.

Oh, and if it has been a long time since you last visited, I would suggest that you scroll down and, if you hadn't seen everything on this page, go to the bottom of the page and click the "Older Posts" thing to view past pages of posts because there are some things that have been happening of late that just might be of interest to you and you wouldn't want to completely miss out on it all and only get the present "current" information!

-GONE!!!

PRAISE THE LORD!

We closed on the house today!
It's SOLD!

P.S. In case you hadn't noticed, we are quite delighted, thrilled, excited, happy, and many other positive adjectives!

Going-Going-

-Hopefully Gone this afternoon. The closing on the old house is set for around 2:30 P.M. today! Please pray that everybody shows up and everything is in order and goes through!

Japanese Beetles....

We have Japanese Beetles in a couple of our trees and were wondering if anybody had any idea of an effective means of destroying them?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Oh, and I just found out, while I was mowing the lawn and accidentally hit the tree they are in, they do not like to be disturbed!

I Pledge Allegiance...

"...to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Praise the Lord for the United States of America and all that we have here, but we aren't enjoying the full blessing of the Lord like we used to and could be enjoying it. We are trying to leave God out of the picture, but without God there is no picture! It is He Who was there before time began (in fact, He created time)! It is He Who created us! It is He Who sustains us from day to day! It is He Who made the payment for my sin and for your sin and gave us the opportunity to have a life that is truely worth living and spend all of eternity with Him in Heaven after we either die, or He returns to take us up to Himself - all this for free, we must only accept His gift, His payment! It is He Who will someday judge those who have not accepted His gift and He will give them their wages for their sin - death - eternal seperation from Him. It is He to Whom we, who have accepted His gift, will have to give account of all the things we have done in our body - whether good or bad. It is He with Whom I will spend my eternity! Without Him there is nothing! Let's bring God back into the picture! God is the One Who has allowed all the "natural" disasters of late. I believe that He is using them to try and wake us up. Are we going to let them remind us that God is in control and He must be our everything? If God is our everything, what all does that include? He is our Protector (not our military, ultimately)! He is our Provider (it is God Who supplied your job and Who gave you that talent in the first place)! He is the Good Shepherd - He cares about and for His sheep! He is our mediator - He is the way to God! He is the Creator (as I already went well into)! He is the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob...and He is my God! He is the one true living God! My God keeps His promises...and here is one of them, but notice, it comes with a few conditions ~"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." ~II Chronicles 7:14. I don't really have time to keep going, and you probably don't either, but the list could keep going, and going, and going, and going, etc.........maybe someday I'll come back and continue it - we'll see....but here's the point, God has given us promises, but in order for Him to fulfill them, we must fulfill our part. Do we really want God? Are we willing to let go of the things that don't really matter for eternity? Are we ready and willing to change and surrender our lives and our all to Him? He owns us in every possible way, but He has granted us a free will. Are we willing to call, and to serve Him as Lord of our lives? Are we willing to humble ourselves, and pray, and seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways?

As you think today about our country, remember that any greatness that we have is of the Lord! Let us humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways (including pride, selfishness, materialism, etc.) not only today, but from now on. May God be merciful to us and our country and may we, His servants, be filled with His Spirit and be used of Him in such a way that the world might be turned upside down, that the whole world might know the gospel and might turn from having their backs to God to seeking His face! God can do anything, but are you willing to let Him use you to accomplish that "anything"?!

Psalm 20:7 ~"Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God."

Psalm 33:12 ~"Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance."

Joe's News

For those of you who haven't heard yet, Joe left this afternoon, July 4th, to go intern with a pastor out in California. He will be 30-60 miles or so from Sacremento and is planning to be there 'til August 8th. Please remember to pray for him especially while he is away. He started a blog for while he is there. In our "Family and Friends" section along the left side of our blog, there is a link to it-you should check it out!