Well, I cooked Indian food tonight Lamb Tikka Masala (not sure about the spelling), and lets just say that the Sushi was better in my book. heh. I got the recipe from Foodtv.com and I loved the Saffron Rice (I added green peas to it), but the recipe from the Chicken Tikka Masala was just not what I have had in the restaurant. So, I will try that one again some other time.
The lamb was great! and the rice was good, but the sauce for the tikka masala was just not what I would call wonderful. So I will save that one for another day! The lamb though, was very good. I grilled in and it was marinated in rosemary and mint. Oh yeah really good stuff!
Well, not much happened today. I was planning on working on my sermons all day today, but I had an interruption, but just as Dr. Kalas 
(one of my fav professor’s in Seminary) used to say, “Some of my best moments of ministry were in the interruptions.” Amen Dr. Kalas!
Well, I got some GREAT news today! Al Gwinn (Tiffany and I’s Sr. Pastor in Lexington, KY @ 1st Church Lexington) was elected Bishop today, so that is great news. I will spare you all on what that means in the Methodist church, but it is a huge honor and you don’t go up the ladder as a pastor any higher than Bishop. For example, there is one Bishop over the entire panhandle of Texas and the State of New Mexico. Our conferences are a little different, but still they are the big wigs, and I can not think of a better man to receive this honor and responsibility. May God bless the conferences he serves!
Oh, yeah I almost forgot our cat Sushi (yes yes, my dog loves to eat Sushi…not the food, but our cat, ha ha ha) can not eat anything after 9:00 pm tonight. You know why?……… Well, lets just say there are two parts of his anatomy that he will be missing after tomorrow…OUCH!
You know when we took our dog Halo in the Vet for that procedure I thought they would tie them up just like they do to us humans, but no no no, they take them right out…no mistakes are going to happen here, heh. Well, I just stayed home with him and loved on him the entire day that day, I felt so bad. Well, Tiffany is not going to be back until around 7:00 pm tomorrow so it looks like it is going to just be us boys again and this time Halo and Sushi will be with me. I wonderful Halo will be nice to Sushi after the surgery? Lord please be with them both.
Jay Update:
I talked to Jay today and he was feeling very good and talking lots, just still hurting from the mouth sores all in his mouth, tongue, and throat. So….please KUTP! He had a Dr.’s visit today and nothing new, except this time he had to wait 7 HOURS to get in to see the Dr…..7 HOURS! And this is a Dr.’s visit in a Dr.’s office, not the hospital, but the office. Man that is a long wait time. But he was home and watching Deep Space 9 with Sheila and doing good. Thank you for your love and prayers!
Tiffany will be home tomorrow!!!!!!!! Woo hoo I can not wait!!!!!!! Man, I miss her!!! It seems like the more we are apart the harder it is to have her leave…shouldn’t be the other way, where you get used to it? Oh well, we are not the typical couple, heh. I love her soo much…more than I could ever express in words, so that leaves me actions and I do the best I can there too….even though it can never be enough. SHMILY!!!!!!!!
I also talked to Tyson Edwards…best friend of High School and college, and He and his wife live in Las Vegas, and are doing well. It was great talking to you both! Love yall!
Please continue to be in prayer for Jay and Sheila, of course, but for someone in KY also who is really in need of your prayers! Please lift this person up to God and allow this person to really get back on track with God during this time of trial in their life. Thanks!
Hey the blog now has cool format options, so be looking for those in the
future
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Love you all take care and God bless!!! (P.S. did you spend time in your hiding place yet?)
Did you ever have a hiding place?
I am blessed to be able to say that I really don’t remember a good Hiding place in my own home. I guess the closes thing I could think of was my closet. The attic was too hard and scary to get to, and the opening under the carpet in my parents closet was just dirty (and I just knew there was a snake under there) so those would NEVER make good hiding places. Because hiding places are supposed to be safe places, not scary or hard to get to. It is a place that you know exactly where to go to, in ANY event, tornado, mad brother, or a friend trying to find you, you knew almost by instinct where to go and exactly how to get there the fastest way. I know that I think of hiding places as place I go to for safety and comfort! And I think that Isaiah and David were saying the same thing in these two verses:
Isaiah 28:14-18
14 Therefore hear the word of the LORD, you scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem. 15 Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol we have an agreement; when the overwhelming scourge passes through it will not come to us; for we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood we have taken shelter“; 16 therefore thus says the Lord GOD, See, I am laying in Zion a foundation stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation: “One who trusts will not panic.” 17 And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plummet; hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will overwhelm the shelter. 18 Then your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand; when the overwhelming scourge passes through you will be beaten down by it.
See sadly we make our shelter and refuge in this world one that is full of falsehood (yep even that little tinne winnie white lie) These are the places we turn to when we are in trouble or have done wrong against someone. We make up a simple excuse: no one would ever need to know the truth. We tend to make decisions based on how other people will think about us, instead of how God will think about us. Where do you find your hiding place with the rubber meets the road? You better look out though…because God will pelt your refuge with hail, and you shelter with hail. Then you will no longer be subject to hades, because he will remind you of where your shelter and refuge…your hiding place should be in Him and only in Him. (and there aint no hail or high water that is going to take out that shelter, heh)
Now, what does David the author of this Psalm say?
Psalm 32:1-11
1 Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Happy are those to whom the LORD imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. 3 While I kept silence, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah 5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah 6 Therefore let all who are faithful offer prayer to you; at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters shall not reach them. 7 You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with glad cries of deliverance. Selah 8 I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. 9 Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding, whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle, else it will not stay near you. 10 Many are the torments of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the LORD. 11 Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.
David knew exactly what he was talking about. David knew what a hiding place looked like and David knew that he and all of us must find out place of comfort and safety (our hiding place)…..in God. God is who we turn to in the midst of strife, and hardships. God is who we lean upon when the world around us seems like it is closing in on us and searching us out with temptations, pain, and discord! It is God that is our refuge, not anything or anyone else can fill us with true peace, comfort, safety, and love. Nothing else..only God. I pray today that you all can come to know this hiding place, and go deeper into this hiding place! I promise you will find that it is a place that you can not live your life until you spend more and more of your time there with God…in relationship with God.
You know the funny thing about his hiding place is that God is telling you to bring a friend in there with you, heh. Do you need to spend more time with God? Do you need to share about your hiding place with others and invite them to join you in your “hiding”? Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Jay update:
I called Jay today and the mucus problem has hit with full force. He has sores all over his mouth and throat. It was hurting him so bad that he had to get off the phone to rest his mouth. So, the chemo side-effects are starting to hit. He said he felt OK, but the mucus thing was really hurting. So now is the time to really get the prayers up and going. Thank you for all of your prayers and know I and Jay and Sheila love you! KUTP!!!
Have a good night yall!
Well, tonight I made my own sushi!!! And guess what……..It was darn good! heh. Let me show you what I ate:
This one was the first one I made…well actually the first California roll I made was WAY over stuffed, and I just had to eat that one in one big roll while I was making it. (oh darn, heh) Well this plate was the first one I made and that is a Cali roll with a few Tuna pieces.
This is the second one I made and this one is all spicy Tuna roll. There was a second spicy tuna roll, but I decided to actually eat the sushi I made instead of taking pictures of it.
This is the place setting of everything except the last plate of the second spicy tuna roll. Man this was a lot on food, and I just barely got it down, heh.
Well from what I have learned in this wonderful experience is:
1. I can actually make my own Sushi, and it is MUCH cheaper!
2. It took me a total of 2 1/2 hours to make it all, and it was just barely still cold when I ate it all…in other words, next time I will make it with other people.
3. Real crab meat in a Cali roll is much better than the imitation you get in the restaurants.
4. I love rice cookers
5. I will probably only do this for special acceding due to the amount of time it takes and the number of dishes I had to clean, hew
6. Sushi is still a love of mine!!!!
throaty is Indian food, so I will let you all know how that goes and hopefully that is be a little less time consuming, hew.
Oh BTW: I am not sure if you noticed the drink on the table, but it is my favorite soft drink made here in Santa Fe!!! The company is Blue Sky Soda and the Drink is
Cherry Vanilla cream!!!! Oh man it is good, but I found in Whole Foods three new flavors that I have fallen for and one of them is on par with Cherry Vanilla Cream! They are, Orange Cream (wow this Orange Cream is not listed on their website…And I do know you can only get this Orange Cream @ whole foods here in Santa Fe, so it makes me think this is a special one, heh), Prime Lime Cream, and the one that is on par with Cherry vanilla is Very Berry Cream!!!!!
Well, I found Cherry Vanilla Cream one time in West Texas, and then I found it one time in KY, but that was a rare thing, but now I know they have this organic stuff, if you have a Whole Foods anywhere near, then you might have a good chance to get these!
Jay Update:
I talked to Jay this afternoon and he was doing VERY good! He said that yesterday was the last Rituxan treatment for that course (course II), so that means he has 4 more (21 days long each) treatments to go. KUTP!!!!!!
Thank you again. I wrote a devotional that I will put up soon, but I wrote it a while ago and I wonder if it will post it on today’s date or if it will post it on the date I saved it as a draft..well, just be looking for it in the future.
Yall take care and God bless you all!
When I was driving home from Whole Foods Market I saw 7 different cars not using their blinkers when turning. This amazed me! During the course of 2 miles I saw 7 of them. I could not believe it! Two of those cars almost had someone run into them from behind because they did not know the car in front was turning because there was no blinker usage! Man, that is just sad. There are too many people in this world who need to take some blinker lessons, or go back to blinker summer school. (This is all coming from a man (me) who lets cars in front of him that are stopped at a green light for over 2 mins with not a horn honk to be heard.)
Well, I typed up a long blog post again tonight only to have my Internet Explorer lock up on me while I was trying to put a link in the post..so I decided that I would try out another internet browser! And this is the first time I have used it and man I like it! I am slowly becoming a internet geek day by day. I know a lot of it, but have never had the time to actually try it out, and man I love this browser (and I have only used it for 20 mins now, heh) If any of you are brave enough to check it out here is the download page to download this great browser. FireFox made by Mozilla. I love the fact that I no longer have to open another internet explorer to view two web pages, because it opens up another tab for each website you go to! I really love that ability, because I am constantly typing the blog and then needing to find a website to make a link to, and these tabs are a VERY nice addition. And FireFox was smart enough to transfer all my bookmarks/favorites, passwords, etc… (I think it is even faster, and besides it is much safer from attacks that Microsoft Internet Explorer)
Well you all go and check it out and see if you like it the same or better, but just like anything computer…you must play with it long enough to figure it out.
I also went to Amazon.com to update my wish list (notice I always put this up for the hint to my family members, ha ha ha ha) and I found a link to another blog that I really like it is gizmodo.com. All you gadget people will love this blog. Basically, this blog covers reviews and news on all gadgets. Oh man, Tiffany is sorry that I found this one, heh.
I also forgot to tell you all that I went to see King Authur last Saturday in Albq. and I felt that it was a very good film. There were lots of sermons scattered in it. It did a good job of showing the persecution of Christians of the time, and also how God and specifically the name of Jesus was used as an excuse to do horrible things to other people. It should be a discussion starter for any Christian. Granted you must also realize you have to see past the violence and the sex, to find the sermon, but I still consider it to be a good movie, and I will add it to my DVD to buy list (that list is probably too long too, heh heh. Well, speaking of buying a DVD so I can find out just how good it is by watching it on my Home Theater I thought you might like to see my HT (Home Theater) so….you can see my HT here:
The Hollums Home Theater and if you ever wonder about my DVD collection then you can check it out here: My DVD Collection. I just thought hose would be cool for you to look at if you are bored.
Jay Update:
Well, I talked to Jay this evening and he was doing good. He got back home from his Chemo and he was very tired, and He said that this time they put a lot of Rituxan in him and they pumped it into him very fast, so he had a bad headache, but still doing good so KUTP!
Well, I love you all, and I must go to bed. When Tiffany is not here (she is gone to elementary church camp) then I don’t have anyone to remind me to go to bed on time, heh. Thank you God for my wonderful never deserved wife! God bless you all!
Well, as I type this I am late to work and; yes, some of you might think that it is bad of me to be writing this blog right now, but I just spent a long morning helping Tiffany pack for camp this morning and then my devotional time took a little longer than what I thought (this is a very good thing by the way, heh), but I thought that I should share something with you all.
Yesterday I taught a class on John Wesley (founder of United Methodism) and as I was searching through my Wesley Theology (great link to all of his sermons, notes on the NT, etc…) notebook from my seminary class I found some notes from my preaching class. (this happened often when I forgot my other classes notebook I would just use the notebook I had in my backpack, heh) Well, it was from my preaching for special occasions class (By the way Dr. Kalas taught this class and he is such an amazing man, I wish you could hear his sermons..or second best read his books, and it was the notes for preaching at weddings. Now, wedding sermons need to be short (at least they should be) (”Your welcome” to all those that I have married, heh) and one of our assignments was to preach a wedding sermon for someone that we knew well. So I decided to preach my wedding sermon as if I was preaching my mother and father’s wedding. So, I thought you all might like to read the short sermon that I would have preached at my parent’s wedding. (please throw disbelief out the window here, yes it is impossible to go back in time and preach my parent wedding before I was born, but just pretend this is like a Disney film and just enjoy it, not for the reality, but for the enjoyment) So here is the sermon for Randy and Teresa Hollums way back in the Dark Ages, heh just kidding Daddy and Momma! (Oh, Momma and Daddy, I think I sent this to you before, but it would not hurt for you to read it again, ha ha) (I am sure you people at the courthouse will enjoy this one, ha ha)
1 John 4:11-16
Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another.
No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the Day of Judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world.
I remember when Teresa and Randy told me stories about their courtship. There was one story that pretty much summed up their relationship at the first and summed up their personalities. The first date Randy took Teresa on he told her as they were eating dinner that if she could not have children that he would not marry her. Now, that part of the story sums up Randy, logical! I Think Randy and Spock would have been good friends! That is why being in law is a perfect profession for him. Now you can imagine what Teresa thought about this statement and the entire date from then on. She basically knew this was NOT the one that God had for her and besides, this guy really needs a lesson in romance. Well, at the end of that date Teresa told Randy that she really just did not hear any “bells ringing” and so that she would probably not like to go out with him again.
Well, time passed and Randy really liked Teresa and decided that he would pester her enough where she would go out on another date with him. Well the story goes, Teresa decided that she was going to teach him a lesson and show up to the door with curlers in her hair even after he told her to dress up nice for their date. Well, Randy met Teresa at the door and either did not see the curlers or ignored them, because he knew they would probably embarrass her more than him, but either way he took her to the passenger seat of the car and drove off.
Teresa noticed that they were going down one of the bumpiest roads to get to the restaurant. What she did not know was Randy had tied string from the hangers beside each of the backseat doors with a bell in the middle that would ring with each bump the car ran over. Randy turned to Teresa and said,
“Do you hear any bells ringing now?”
Teresa says that she pretty much new from then on that that Randy was going to be the one that she would probably marry.
Isn’t it amazing what things we are willing to do and changes we are willing to make when someone special comes into our lives?
Randy, Teresa, you are here to receive a blessing from God for your holy matrimony. And you have allowed this special someone called Jesus into your personal lives. And God is not only going to bless you and your marriage, but He is going to enter into your marriage as well. Since you love one another, God will abide in you, and He will perfect his love in and through you and your marriage. Who knows he may continue to perfect your love through your children. (ha ha) Please realize that God is abiding in your marriage and living through you.
And the same goes for you, friends and family (those who read this blog) who have come to this marriage as witnesses. Abide in God and allow Him to Abide in you, and then realize that through your prayer and your loving this couple (and everyone you come in contact with) that you too will be helping them grow and perfect their love for each other and perfect their love to Christ. Now may you both experience love and grace flowing from the arms that Jesus has wrapped around you. Amen!
One thing must be said, this sermon illistartion was not asked about immediatially before writing the sermon, so all truthfullness to the story part is subject to change…or you can just go ask my father or mother for the “real” story…. I am sure they might tell you different “sides” story, but the basic gist is the same. Besides my Mom and Dad always need more people giving them a hard time.
Note to everyone….if you are a freind of a Pastor or family member of a pastor…your life is an open book just like his/her life, heh…this means that you will be mentioned in sermons, and stories, even to the entire world over the World Wide Web. So, just get used to it, ha ha.
Note to pastors…. Please ak permission of all friends, family, or church members before you write or speak about them, ha ha.
Jay update:
Well, Jay has a new toy (actually it is really Sheila’s) but he can now surf the web anywhere he can get a cell phone connection, so it was funny this morning because I was typing on my blog and he just IMed (Instant messaged, AIM, Messenger, trillian,etc…)me telling me that he was driving to the hospital, and then he IMed me telling me he was there and waiting (which he does a lot of in the hospital, ha ha) So, he is going back for another Rituxan treatment today, and then back home (probably) tonight to rest up tonight and tomorrow, only to go back the next day. He seemed well, and as always he thanks you all for your prayers and support! I think he sadly is having to get into the chemo mode. Just still learning what the limits of his strength and mobility are while his is on the chemo drugs. It is still in the learning stages and I hope to get you all the chemo schedual for courses III and V. (as soon as the Dr.’s give it to him)
I need to make a acronym for my “Jay and Sheila statement” something like KUTP! (K=Keep, U=Up, T=The, P=Prayers) Ha Ha. Well, until any of you come up with a better one in the comments then I will just use KUTP!
Love you all and please know I apprecite you readig this blog, and I hope that you get something out of it each post. May your day today be better than all the others you have had! Love ya all!
Well, I worked long and hard on a post on Friday and then I did not save the post and came back to it later on in the day and spent even more time on it, and then tried to post it only to find out that my session timed out and I lost the entire post…. Needless to say I was not a happy camper. Well, it took me this long to calm down enough to come back and post, heh.
What I was going to talk about was the program called Weather Bug This program puts the temperature in your systems tray (lower right hand corner for those non-geek people, ha ha) Well, this program will make a cricket type noise as soon as the National weather service has issued any form or weather watch or warning for your county. (A huge benefit for those of you who live in West Texas) Well, it works much better when you have a DSL, Cable modem, or wireless internet, (it will also work if you have dial-up, but it will only show the temp, ect, when you are online/conected to the internet. It even has your forecast, radar, etc… Highly suggested for all you weather lovers like me.
Well, I was also going to tell you the channels other than local channels that I love to watch on the telli:
HD Net
HD Net movies (same link)
Discovery HD
G4 Tech TV
Food Network (this site even lets you pick your fav recipes and then store them for free on their website…never use a cookbook again…well only to a certain extent)
PBS HD
And of course the regulars but I really do love the HD over the air that these provide…except NBC out of Albq…man this station better get the HD in gear….especially for this years Olympics! They really have disappointed me. But here are those, CBS, ABC, NBC.
So ther eyou have it, if you walk in on my watching TV then you can now guess what I will be watching. (I am sure you all care so much, heh)
Well now its time for (drum roll please)………The famous Jay Update!!!!
I talked to Jay Yesterday and he was feeling better but the day before he was feeling the effects of the chemo, and said that he would never wish chemo upon anyone, but today he went back the hospital for the Rituxan IV chemo and tonight he was talking quite a bit even though he said he was tired, so that is very good news. He seems to be doing very well considering how much chemo they are shoving into his body, so we all thank you all for your prayers and hope that you are blessed by giving to Jay as much as he and our family have been blessed by your prayers and support! Thank you!
Oh I forgot to tell you all that I went to Albq. today and I went to a grocery store that I fell in love with!!! (I am my father’s son I guess) The market was called Talin World Market. This place has every kind of world food that you can think of. I got the real Japanese Kewpie Mayo, and all the fixn’s for sushi and Chicken/lamb Tikka Masala!!! Oh man I can wait to make my own food, and save a ton of money on my car insurance….uuuuhhhhh I meant save a ton of money on eating out. Ha Ha.
So now none of you have any excuse you now all have to come to my house and eat Indian or Japanese food, heh!
Ok, well all of you have a wonderful night and wonderful Sunday!!! God bless you all…and remember…prayers, prayers, prayers…please 
After a short talk last night in bed with my wife, I have decided (by her wonderful almost Jedi-like persuasiveness) to write the blog in the morning or afternoon. It seems I have gotten hooked by the power of the blog and have not been spending quality time each night with Tiffany….(please understand I take full responsibility, and I do spend too much time on the computer anyway.) So, I will try to do my updates in the morning or afternoon much more often so I can spend wife time and not as much computer time in the evenings…..
(note to all husbands: You would do well to follow my lead here, you might end up helpless, because she does almost everything for you anyway, and sine people to live together start to look like each other, you would go back to being ugly….like this poor husband who did not listen to my advice)
Well, I was looking on the net as usual at home and I came across something interesting. If you have never shopped thinkgeek.com then you need to spend some time there especially if you have a geek family member that loves that stuff. There is even some stuff on there that I have to ask Jay or Thor about to catch the joke, so have some fun…and check out those light sabers (Darth’s looks cool)! You can find stuff like this: 
(that is a led programable name badge!) and this and this and even THIS and of course you need this and this and this to go along with it.
Well, every now and then I have the urge to desire to spend money. And for some reason I (and you know you do this too, every now and then) decided that I need to revert back to a small child holding the Sears catalog and circling everything I want for Christmas and dog-earing the page for my parents to see exactly what I wanted. My mother says that I had the uncanny ability to desire the most popular toy/game/clothes in the US at the time period, and just knew that I should be on some council to help marketers decide what would and would not sell. ha ha. I wonder if I still do that (Tiffany?)
Well, I found that when I have these urges I open up my Amazon Wish List and start sifting through Amazon on what I would love to buy, and for some reason I feel like I am shopping and actually buying the products (but in reality I am just putting it in my wish list) It is funny, sometimes how I can fool myself into thinking that I am buying it, but not really buying it. Well, everytime I feel this compulsiveness to purchase, I think of
1 Corinthians 13
1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; 5 it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends; as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect; 10 but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood. 13 So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Have I fully put away childish things? I know being a good Wesleyan, that this perfection of heart, mind, and spirit (i.e. right relation with God) I know the answer to the question is “no”. Now there are some things that being child-like is a wonderful thing (i.e. Faith) but I know I am still continuing down this road of life learning each day how to walk closer and closer to God each and every step I take. And so, the lord has put Tiffany, Parents, Jay, Sheila, family, the church, friends, etc… in my life to help with this process to right relationship with God.
So, have you grown up? Are you even desiring to grow up? To be mature in Christ, in all things, in all places, in all relationships? I pray that you can listen to the leading whispers of God in your life to help you mature in Christ. Listen to them in the words of family, friends, non-Christians, movies, circumstances, holidays, pets, sickness, health, and even The Bible! Lets grow together in this thing called life, and grow closer to God each day so that we can bring each other mature in Christ!
Love you all, take care and god bless you all. Keep up the prayers for Jay and Sheila and know you are prayed for as well.
Well, I finally got my email/internet/network up and working on my church computer and man, I had a lot of email. I think the grand total was 390 emails over the course of one week!!! Granted only 76 of them were actually email I cared about and the rest were Spam, I was still amazed! I can’t wait for the church to start using the new email address for all the staff members, heh. Maybe then the Spam will not be as bad…well for a little time at least.
(and Thank you God for a free internet Spam filter!!!)
Jay Update:
Well, I talked to Jay today and he seemed tired, but he said he is feeling good. He said it was wonderful to be home, and that when he is home he tends to get out of bed and move around a lot more instead of just laying in a bed all day for 6-? days straight! Man, I can’t even imagine, heh. Well, he said that his mucus was starting to dry up (side effect of the chemo), but it was not too bad and he was drinking lots of water to keep his mouth working properly. Jay also told me that he felt similar to the way he did when he was receive the CHOP Chemo a while back. It was difficult for him to explain, but something like have short bursts or energy every now and then, but feeling like he has strength, but to weak to use the strength. heh Well, it sounds wired enough to be impossible to describe, so lets just say he still needs your prayers, ha ha. (Good enough for me, and Jay and Sheila I am sure, heh)
Well, when I was traveling I read a LOT of magazines, and I found on Magazine named WIRED. and I found a awesome section filled with limit facts…so I thought I would share a few with you all:
Maximum time Earth has left: 5 Billion Years. Why? That is when the sun goes red Giant and expands beyond the Earth’s orbit.
Shortest possible time: 5.4×10 to the -44th degree. Why? Any shorter and quantum mechanics can’t tell whether events are simultaneous. (I wonder if this is the time God deals with, heh)
Maximum distance we can see: 15 billion light-years. Why? (it is longer than you thought huh?) The universe is about 15 billion years old – this is light’s travel time.
Shortest possible distance: 6.4×10 to the -34th degree. Why? Planck length. Any shorter and quantum mechanics can’t tell between here and there. (now that is short) (probably similar to the length of hair Jay has, and I once had, heh)
Ok well, there are several more so now you can all go show off how smart you are and make other think you are a genius with your random science genius, heh. I am glad I could help!
Well, yall have a great night tonight and God bless you all. Keep up the prayers and thank you all!
Oh yeah almost forgot…the Easter Egg (it is a sneaky one this post) is for you Halo2 fans out there. but just be sure that you DL (download) the latest Quicktime before you click on it. Man it is awesome, and I promise you, if your a Halo2 fan you will want to see it.
Here is a link to the latest Quicktime 6.5
Yall take care and God bless you… OK I will throw in one my hero’s website right here. Have a great night…or for most of you a good day, heh.
I wrote these words while on the airplane traveling from Jay and Sheila’s to Santa Fe and thought you might like to read them:
Today I saw the clouds from above them. It reminded me of when I was a little boy and rode airplanes for the 1st Time. I just wanted (& still do BTW) to go walk around on them.
I thank that airplanes are one of “those places” for me. We all have “those places” don’t we? A place or circumstance that we just are compelled to strike up a conversation w/ God. I realize that airplane window seats might be a place for some of you that you feel compelled to talk w/ God w/o the peacefulness I am describing, (ha ha more like, “LORD HELP CALM MY NERVES” but where are “those places” for you?
A few of those places for me are fly fishing in the cool mountains, Airplane window seats, holding my wife at night and the morning in bed, outside the front doors of dances, watching humming birds, sitting in mall benches, reading the Bible and other Theological books, and lastly (as if you might not guess it…this blog, heh heh)
So think about “those places” for you and then make some time to get to those places, and do some talking, Lord knows you always need to spend more time there with your creator, redeemer, and sustainer. I will pray that you can carve out time more and more as you live your life for Christ each day!
Jay Update:
Well, today Sheila sent out an update via email and I thought I would let Sheila do some blog posting tonight (BTW: Sheila I never got this email I had to have my Dad forward it to me…you mean mean woman, ha ha)
“Jay was released today at 5:30pm Eastern Time. He has a day free from Doctors tomorrow and then he is back to Rituxin on Thursday (West Penn Hospital Short Stay). They have to do blood draws everyday (hopefully, we can get a home nurse to do this) and Rituxin every other day. He has a lumber puncture (spinal tap) where they insert with 2 different chemo drugs once a week and every 21 days he will have to be hospitalized for 5 days for his chemo cycles. His counts aren’t bad yet but will get bad next week. The Doctors said this chemo regimen he is on now is one of the strongest regimens. They had to take a more aggressive apporach since the CHOP regimen failed. It’s a 12 day chemo/immunotherapy cycle followed by 9 days of recovery and includes more than 12 different chemo drugs. This is done for 6 cycles. They gave him Methotrexate for 24 hours straight (most chemos are infused over an hour or two) while he was in the hospital and then had to give him a drug to remove it from his system over the course of three days along.
The next several months are going to be tough but considering everything he has already gone through and what he is facing, he is doing great.
Feel free to call him at home 724-853-0204
Thanks,
Sheila”
Want to know where Sheila works? Here is Direct Advantage Marketing
Oh, and I thought that I would let you see what Jay did for their christmas card/website last year for Christmas, and that is Hollums.com
Well, my father and I also got Jay some gifts for surviving the 1st round of chemo and Jay you should be getting those in the mail soon (I order them tonight) so we all hope you (and probably Sheila, heh) enjoy them. We are all still praying for you and love you so much.
Well, as always I want you all (those who are reading this blog) to know that I love you! I can not express my thanks and gratitude for the ways you support me, Tiffany, my parents, and especially Jay and Sheila! your prayers are amazing, and we are all giving God the credit for Jay’s wonderful outlook on the whole thing, and the good ways he has reacted to the chemo…they were telling us that it was supposed to be a lot worse this it has been, so keep praying that it continues to be handeled so well by Jay and his body…and that the cancer gets it’s butt kicked! Thanks again and I do love you all!
Well, it seems like since the 4th was on a Sunday that everyone else just decided to take Monday off today too! The church office was closed today, but as usual I did not realize that and I put several meeting on my calendar, heh. Oh well, they were lots of fun and very good.
I am also meeting some people tomorrow morning, so this update will be short and simple.
GO SEE Spider-Man 2. WOW, there are so many sermons in that movie, heh. Plus it is a good movie. There were even some scenes in the movie that reminded me of old B Movies, lots of screaming, and camera angles that reminded me of them…just done very well this time around.
Well, That is it for today…OH I also bought a rice cooker today so not I can make my own Sushi and Indian food now, heh. So…your all welcome to stay is good old…(sometimes wired) Santa Fe and we can take good care of you all! Love you all tank you!
Jay Update:
Well, we talked to Jay this morning before my mother and father left (BTW: I love yall! Yall are the coolest parents on the planet..that you put up with your computer geek sons, thank you for learning it all to keep in touch with us both.) This morning Jay sounded VERY good, and my parents told me that they talked to him tonight, and even though he felt a little sick, they might let him go home from this round of chemo and let him rest up for the Rituxan IV’s. I know he is probably VERY ready to go home!
Oh…while I was there in PA Sheila told Jay and me that she had worked up a deal with her mother. Sheila’s wonderful momma (you are unbelievably sweet..you, your husband, your son, of course your daughter…..”and your little dog too”) is going to soon be taking care of Jay (if he needs it) 2 days a week so Sheila can go to work two days a week and then work the rest of the time @ home.
So….all that to say, please be praying for Sheila‘s mother, ha ha ha. (I know you know Jay that she needs it if she is going to take care of you, ha ha ha)
Well, I love you all (Jay and Sheila included) and please keep the prayers-a-flowing! God bless ya all, and take care!
Oh yeah…just for you people that are like my mother (who is still learning all this internet/blog/email stuff) If you see a word in blue you can click on it and get more information about it. Also, there are Easter eggs all over the site (in the blog posts) that are clickable too, and will send you to random sites for you to enjoy and waste your time on, heh. So have fun clicking on those links to leartn more and see if you can find the Easter Eggs scattered around here to have some fun. (I try to make this blog fun, informative, and a little bit of me, so I hope you all can get something from it all) God bless yall!
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