Andrew Alpaugh Blast From the Past

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving in Pigeon Forge, Tn. again this year. Dinner was delicious and if you've never brined a turkey before it is highly recommended. That was the best Turkey I've ever tasted. Yumm-Yum! Pictures will be posted on our web album. Love, Wendy Can you guess who this plate belonged to?

"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:32 (NIV) There's a simple little script many of us play in our mind—simple, yet incredibly dangerous. Dare I say it's one of the biggest things that hold us back from feeling fulfilled in our relationship with God. It's a script tangled in a lie that typically goes something like this: I could really be happy and fulfilled if only I had … … a skinnier body. … a husband. … a husband who was more tender and romantic. … more money. … a more successful career. … a better personality. … a baby. … smarter kids. I don't know what your "if only I had" statements are, but I do know that none of them will bring fulfillment. They might bring temporary moments of happiness… but not true fulfillment. In the book I just wrote, Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl, I expose the "if only I had" lie with this truth: Apart from a thriving relationship with God, even if we got every

The love of her life is drifting away They’re losing the fight for another day The life that she’s known is falling apart A fatherless home, a child’s broken heart You’re holding her hand, you’re straining for words You’re trying to make sense of it all She's desperate for hope, darkness clouding her view She's looking to you Just love her like Jesus, carry her to Him His yoke is easy, His burden is light You don’t need the answers to all of life’s questions Just know that He loves her and stay by her side Love her like Jesus Love her like Jesus The gifts lie in wait, in a room painted blue Little blessing from Heaven would be there soon Hope fades in the night, blue skies turn to grey As the little one slips away You’re holding their hand, you’re straining for words You’re trying to make sense of it all They’re desperate for hope, darkness clouding their view They’re looking to you Just love them like Jesus, carry them to Him His yoke is easy, His burden is light You don’t nee

30 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" 31 Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

6 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. 7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. 8 Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.