APRIL ISSUE

THE BEREAN TIMES April 30th 2009

APRIL 2009

"NEW LIFE"

April has been a long and exciting month for us here at the Academy. We have been busy with school work of course, but also enjoying all the new signs of life around our humble abode. The birds with their little ones, bunnies leaping across the roads and deer bounding out of our yard. The flowers are in full color and the plants are blooming. God is adding to our family here at the Academy in more ways than one. Our beloved administrator and principle (yours truly) have found out they are expecting another little blessing from God; and our parents/grandparents from Nevada are moving up here with us at the end of May. Praise the Lord! We went to a home school conference and were blessed again by the various people, vendors and organizations that were there to further the kingdom of God specifically by encouraging the work ~ (note, labor of love) of homeschooling. God is so good and his mercy endures! See you all next month.
MLH





APRIL NEWS

We have a winner …… congratulations Peach on finding our lost January issue. And to all of you runner-ups great job! The hours spent looking; I’ll tell you I don’t think I could have done it. We have had many good things happen in April, for one I found out I am going to have another sibling (crowd roar!) I can’t wait. The church play set was painted and April showers bring? Rhododendrons, our driveway is lined with them. In a couple of weeks they will be in full bloom. We have a first… I am going (trying) to write a book, I got a lot of my inspiration from the movie Master and Commander Far Side of the World and the book Treasure Island. Yep pirates! I would tell you about it but I might give it away. I won’t tell you anything and maybe I should not have you said anything at all. Oh well. We fell a tree today because my grandpa and grandma are MOVING up here and we need room for their fifth wheel and the tree was in the way. Did you happen to see the circle cloud around the sun the other day? We did and it was really cool. We made a video at church today and tried to make an invisible rope trick……… It didn’t work ahhhhhh maaannnnnnnn. I can’t resist telling you a little something about my book. My book follows the life of Nathaniel Hawkins (Nat) as he likes to be called, later Captain Hawk and his ups and downs. This is a roller coaster ride of an action adventure drama book. See you next month.
WLBH



Odds-n-ends


Working on this post I have been listening to Audio Adrenaline… “Get Down” and I must say that it is true,



In your weakness He is stronger
In your darkness He shines through
When your crying He’s your comfort
When your all alone He’s carrying you



When life brings us down, God lifts us back up no matter what.
WLBH




The Wind

The wind, we don’t know where it starts from,
or where it will make it’s journey next;
yet we can feel it and breathe it,
and look on the things of it’s affect.

How lovely do the trees look
when it seems they dance within the wind,
what beautiful expressions,
as the flowing breeze descends.

Does the wind itself make the whooshing sound,
or is it the objects by simply being in it’s path?
Though we cannot see it, we feel invigorated, energized
and more alive, by what feels like resounding breath.

Storms baffle us sometimes and make everything unclear,
but then you must seek the master of the wind; Jesus
and give to Him all your fears.
Only at His command the winds obey,
In His name the storms disappear,
He is sovereign Lord over all Creation
May His spirit beckon you near.
SLH



Half of April In Alabama

During the first week of April I went with my grandpa on a road trip towards the south.
It wasn’t too many days before I realized a few funny things:
First, grandpa was on a mission, hands on the steering wheel and eyes dead ahead to the every twist and turn and mile before us.
Second: There was an invisible connection between grandpa’s
right foot and the gas pedal, therefore some states were more of a giant blur rather than a picture in our minds. Wow.. If I fell asleep for just a bit, I would be sure to have hovered plane style right through at least half a state during that repose!
Third: when a rest stop was required by me, I had better say it an hour or so early…. Because I found out we would [miss] a few
in order [I’m sure] just to be that much closer to the destination of the evening! Whoa. That was not so funny at the time J
Well who would have guessed that sitting in the passenger seat doing nothing except staring deep into the atlas, and snapping a few pictures, could make you feel like you ran across the country?
That is somehow what it seemed like [ O my pillow and comfy bed where art thou?]
Before noon on day four we had made it to Sulphur, Oklahoma; The road through the main part of town was brick and
nearing the end was a large cemetery. We were headed to my cousin and his wife’s house. This was her hometown where she has lived all her life. Actually much of her family lives on the road behind their house, and her dad is the pastor of the church one block down. It was a great environment and good fellowship.
While we were there they had what they call a (singing!)
the whole neighborhood and church came to Maw-Maw’s house and brought fiddles, guitars, voices and cookies.
we sat around the big fire and sang hymns the rest of the evening!
Very neat!
Since it was country land and a lot of it, almost every house had a quad, they call them four wheelers and think it is strange that we call them quads up here- Lol! They use them to go check on property and visit each other. Or just to kill time.
The big excitement for the men and ladies surprisingly, was showing their guns and the much acquired skill of blowing bright orange clay pigeons apart from about thirty feet away. Interesting.
As for the weather I remember it was pretty hot, but really windy.

We stopped in Texas a couple hours later to visit my uncle Sandy, Who is my grandpa’s eldest son. I also had the joy of meeting my nine year old cousin Memphis for the first time.
We set up an obstacle course to run and jump through a few times; but it ended all too quickly when it was time to go again.
The rest of the day flew until we landed in Shreveport, Louisiana for that night. The next day only required five hours of driving to the final destination. Lafayette, Alabama. There uncle Ralph and aunt Kate, my grandpa’s older sister, were waiting for us to arrive. Sp we stepped into the home they have lived in for over sixty years, and hugged the beloved people that our Lord has caused to live for ninety-seven and ninety-two years.
Oh! What a privilege and great blessing it was to meet them and get to spend hours and days talking with them and sharing memories and laughs about this pilgrimage. It was altogether way too short. I could have learned so much more, and they would not say so but they need all the help and company they can get.
My aunt’s walking is getting more difficult, and they are both hard of hearing.
They love each other so so much though. I got such a kick out of watching them interact throughout the days. He calls her Ma, and she calls him baby. One day I heard this conversation:
UNCLE RALPH: “ Ma, you wanna go into town with me and get a biscuit?”
AUNT KATE: “ Ah no, I’m thinking my heads gonna get to hurting.”
UNCLE RALPH: ( In his joking manner) “ Well I guess I was lucky to get you out of the house yesterday.”
AUNT KATE: “ And that’s probley why I got take it easy-like today!
UNCLE RALPH: ( In his joking tone again) “ Well Ma, you can’t just keep sitting, sitting, sitting in yer chair all day, yer bound to hatch some chicks you know!”
AUNT KATE: ( laughing, and adding with the same enthusiasm)
“ Well baby, If I do hatch some of them, then at least you’ll be getting some help around here!”
And everybody was really laughing with that one.
Aunt Kate , before we left for the Birmingham Airport, told me, to never take a day for granted, and always be thankful for every step cause life does indeed go by quickly.
Lord, may you continue to bless and keep them all their days.

SLH