Our Family Portrait in Orlando Florida 2012

Our Family July 2012
Back Row: Emily, Hung, Dana, Gabe, Christine, Lindsey, Travis, Robyn, Austin, Bob, Linda
First Row: Ben, Ella, Holland, Ansley, Gabriel, Grace, Leanna, Lance, Grant, Jackson.

A Christmas Blessing using the meanings of our 13 Grandchildren's names

Top Row: Lindsey Elaine, PawPaw & Nana-ChaCha, Austin Clay, Lance Wesley, Grant Joseph.

Second Row: Holland Timothy

First Row: Ansley Michele, Gabriel Joseph, Grace Noel Emerson, Robert Benjamin,

Jackson Travis, Leanna Joy, Mylinh Isabella. (The baby doll that Grace is holding represents Emerson, our 13th Grandchild that will be born in May 21, 2013, Lord willing!)

Using the meanings of our twelve Grandchildren’s first and middle names,
 this “Christmas Blessing” was written for you…

May you ‘regard with respect’ The Lord's ‘bright light’ on the ‘great’ ‘islands’ and

                       Austin                              Elaine              Grant  Lindsey

‘meadow’ ‘lands’ where He has placed your ‘mortal’ body to ‘multiply’ the life of Jesus.

  Wesley  Lance                                      Clay                Joseph

May your ‘inner soul’ walk in ‘joy’ in the 'fields' of life with God’s gift of ‘grace’.
                   Mylinh              Joy          Ansley                                Leanna

May His ‘likeness’ in you be your ‘might’. May you shout praises with ‘honor’

               Michele                     Gabriel                                     Timothy

to God from the highest ‘ridge lands’. May the ‘oath of God’ with His ‘bright fame’

                                        Holland                    Isabella                    Robert

and His righteous ‘right hand’, rest His ‘favor’ on you as you celebrate the

                              Benjamin              Grace

‘gracious gift of God’, on the ‘day of birth’ of His ‘Son’ Jesus Christ.

        Jackson Travis                  Noel              Emerson

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2012 AND HAPPY NEW YEAR 2013.

WE HAPPILY ANNOUNCE THAT "EMERSON VAN TRUONG"
 OUR 13TH GRANDCHILD IS DUE MAY 21, 2013.

Hung and Emily are the proud parents, and Holland, Isabella and Benjamin are the shouting siblings!

the garden flowers...

The Garden Flowers

 

These flowers were sent to you

in hopes that you will see,

the beauty of the Lord's bounty

throughout eternity.

Just looking at these flowers,

and all their many hues,

reflects God's Glory

that He is certainly due.

The flowers from our garden

and the words of the Bible say,

that the flowers may fade away

but the Words of our God will stay.

These flowers were sent to you

to help us all realize,

that God loves us so much more,

than the flowers may disguise.

 

By Linda Hester

for Aunt Nita's

Birthday

August 6, 2012

tears in heaven...

Would you know my name

If I saw you in heaven?

Would it be the same

If I saw you in heaven?

 

I must be strong

And carry on,

'Cause I know I don't belong

Here in heaven.

 

Would you hold my hand

If I saw you in heaven?

Would you help me stand

If I saw you in heaven?

 

I'll find my way

Through night and day,

'Cause I know I just can't stay

Here in heaven.

 

Time can bring you down,

Time can bend your knees.

Time can break your heart,

Have you begging please, begging please.

 

Beyond the door,

There's peace I'm sure,

And I know there'll be no more

Tears in heaven.

 

Would you know my name

If I saw you in heaven?

Would it be the same

If I saw you in heaven?

 

I must be strong

And carry on,

'Cause I know I don't belong

Here in heaven.

 

by Eric Clapton

sin is like a store bought blueberry muffin

I am sitting here at the pool of a Disney Resort called Port Orleans Riverside, near the '95' building where we are staying and preparing for my first morning at the pool. I just got back from the resort hotel where I purchased a scrumptous looking, mouth watering, blueberry mufin.  After my first bite of this muffin, I realized that the taste wasn't near to what I had expected it to be.  Compared to the looks of the muffin, the taste and the consumtion was no where near what my hopes and desires were wanting it to taste like.  Then I began to realize, that is how sin is. It deceives us! We look at something and think how wonderful it will be if we had it, and the enjoyment that it will give us, but the consequences of our sin far - far - far out weights the enjoyment that it gives us.

written at 10am by nanachacha on July 24, 2005

peace

                            

I look at this picture and it means PEACE to me.

The lady sitting in her beach chair, reading a book

and feeling the ocean breeze blowing on her face.

She is finally getting to relax at the beach on her

vacation from the cares of this world. But after her

vacation, she comes back to the reality of her world,

realizing that her peace did not last very long. Then

she understands that she needs “The Prince of Peace”

living inside of her soul to have an everlasting peace.

Jesus wants us to have His Peace, resting in knowing

that He has taken care of ALL the cares of this world.

From the day we confess that we are sinners and ask

Him to forgive us, and to save our souls. This step

of faith, that He even gives us to start with, will give

us His PEACE that passes ALL understanding.

The peace that we go on vacations for, we can have

everyday of our lives and for eternity.

John 16:33; Is 9:6; Eph 2:8-9; Phil 4:7; John 17:3

the three gifts

Have you ever wondered what the three gifts that the three wise men brought to the Baby Jesus were representing? Well let’s take a closer look at these three gifts and see what God was showing us.

The First Wise Man brought Gold to the Baby Jesus. Gold is a precious metal that is worth a lot of money, in those days and now. A gift of Gold was given to Kings. The First Wise Man knew that Jesus was a King. Jesus is our eternal, everlasting King for now and when we go to Heaven.

The Second Wise Man brought the baby Jesus Frankincense. This was an oil that when it was burned the fragrance went up to Heaven for God to smell. God wanted them to do this for Him while they prayed to Him. After Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead three days later, He is our fragrance that God smells for us instead of our stinky sins. Because of what Jesus did in obedience to God’s command, we can now go boldly before God’s throne and pray directly to Him through Jesus our Savior.

The Third Wise Man brought the baby Jesus Myrrh. Myrrh is an oil that was used to dress the body after death. This gift was a foreshadowing of Jesus’ life. The baby Jesus would grow up and live on earth and die for our sins and rise from the dead on the third day. Because He did this in obedience to God’s command, we now are clothed in His “robe of righteousness”. This robe covers ALL of our sins from the beginning of the world until we pass away from this world to Heaven.

The next time you see someone on the street holding a sign that says, “Buy Gold”, remember that first gift of Gold that was brought to the baby Jesus; the King of Kings was brought Gold on his Birthday to testify to the world that He is the King of Kings on earth and in Heaven.

The next time you pray to God, remember that second gift of frankincence that was brought to the baby Jesus. And the only reason you can pray to our Holy God and come boldly before His Throne, is because Jesus died on the cross for your sins and rose again so you can live forever.

The next time you put on your robe at night, remember that third gift of Myrrh that was brought to the baby Jesus. And remember that you have a robe of righteousness to wear everyday, when you repent of your sins and ask Jesus to come to live in your heart as Lord of your life. 

(this was my way of giving 3 gifts to our grandchildren, Ansley & Gabriel on 2011 Christmas night at our house)