Mutton Bustin'....

My good buddy Mikey moseyed on over

to the San Antonio Rodeo Friday night.

Big Mike D, far right, sizing up the competition...

waiting in line to board his sheep....

here he is on board...and hanging on for dear life...

a 3 second ride...soon to be interrupted by the law of gravity.

with a little help from Leon Coffee, he was up and... running like the wind to get the heck outta dodge...

The Cowboy rides away....taking with him

the Mother of all trophies...

"Mutton Bustin', where Little League meets the Rodeo..
Where grit, courage and perseverance are learned...

Much like our lives...

Some days you ride the sheep....some days the sheep, which is three times your size, rides you and all you can do is hang on for dear life.

You catch the ground with your face...

and you need a big God, to come along and wipe it all off.

God, Thank You for your constant watch and patience...it must be like herding cats...or dumb sheep...and yet, You never turn away.

"Never will I leave you, Never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5

In His Dust,

DCC

Super Bowl....

Super Bowl Sunday.....

sitting by the fire, in big sweaters, cowboy boots and jeans...

suddenly becoming advertising experts...and arm chair quarterbacks

alongside good friends, good food and cold beer....

Thank You God, for community...and the time to just sit and "be" together.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17

In His Dust,
DCC

Common...

For thirty of thirty-three years, Jesus lived a common life .

He lived in a common town....had common friends....common family...common looks....

Sound familiar?

It is the way He approached all of the people and places that made his life so uncommon.

He knew Who was With Him at all times.

"God's various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits" 1 Corinthians 12:7

God, Thank You for your presence in our lives, which makes an ordinary day...extraordinary.

In His Dust,

DCC

Grammys...

So I watched the Grammy Awards last night...and I have a few questions?

Who, what, when,where and why kept running through my mind....

would it be too much to ask for some of them to take a flipping shower before showing up?

However a bright light appeared on the red carpet appeared for me...

The General, Larry Pratt, brought plenty of belts...to keep anyone's pants off the ground.

As I lay in my bed with a pulled muscle in my neck and shoulder, it was much more than the smell of Tiger Balm that reminded me I was getting older.

I missed all of my old friends... James and Carole... (Who are going on tour together again)

Kenny...

John....with or without the glasses...

I miss the days when he was cool

You know who never stopped being cool...

for the record- James Taylor's "cool" factor- is permanent and never changing.

Know something else that is permanent never changes....

God.

"I The Lord do not change." Malachi 3:6

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever." James 13:8

God, Thank You for being the One Thing that never changes.

In His Dust,

DCC

Family Tree...

The contrast between all of us pulling together for Haiti and the partisanship of politics, it's nice to remember we all come from the same place-

God, Thank You for reminding us of how short the family tree is after all.

In His Dust,

DCC

Still...

One of my favorite verses is and always has been

“Be still, and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10

This is a command, that comes with a promise from God Himself!

The command?
"Be still."

Cover your mouth.
Bend your knees.

Sit still.

The promise?

"You will know that I am God."

I don't know about you...but BRING ON THE SECOND PART!

The first part I am not real good with.

Ok, fine, I flat out suck at being still.

However, G0d knows that about me and clearly, still commands me to do it HIS WAY.

For me this means, "Debbi, Sit Down. Shut your trap. Trust Me."

Max Lucado says, "In the midst of your daily storms, make it a point to be still and set your sights on him. Let God be God. Let him bathe you in his glory so that both your breath and your troubles are sucked from your soul.

Be still. Be quiet. Be open and willing. Then you will know that God is God.”God, Thank You for the rest we find when we are still Your Arms....with our eyes fixed on You...it is only in this stillness, that we are truly safe.

In His Dust,

DCC

Point of Light...

August 2005.....Hurricane Katrina blew through New Orleans....This was the third time the dome had been used as a shelter; it was previously used in 1998 during Hurricane Georges and in 2004 during Hurricane Ivan. During Georges, the Superdome had no problems related to the weather, but the evacuees stole furniture and damaged property that resulted in thousands of dollars in losses, and there were difficulties supplying the more than 14,000 people living temporarily in the dome with necessities. About a thousand special-needs patients were housed there when Ivan hit the area.

Approximately 9,000 residents and 550 National Guardsmen rode out the night in the Superdome as Katrina came ashore. The number of people taking shelter in the Superdome rose to around 15,000 to 20,000 as search and rescue teams brought more people to the Superdome from areas hit hard by the flooding. Officials set up security checkpoints, and confiscated alcohol, weapons, and illicit drugs from those seeking refuge in the building. On August 29, 2005, at about 9:00 am, reports from inside the Superdome were that part of the roof was "peeling off," daylight could be seen from inside the dome, and rain was pouring in.
There was no water purification equipment, no chemical toilets, no antibiotics and no anti-diarrhea medicine stored for a crisis. There were no designated medical staff at work in the evacuation center, no established sick bay within the Superdome, and very few cots available.
As of August 31, there had been three deaths in the Superdome: two elderly medical patients and a man who is believed to have committed suicide by jumping from the upper level seats. There were also unconfirmed reports of rape, vandalism, violent assaults, crack dealing/drug abuse, and gang activity inside the Superdome.
Speculation arose that the Louisiana Superdome would have to be demolished.

Cut to January 24th 2010....

The roof that once had holes in it, now was being raised with cheers of human victory. Holes that had been punched through drywall by evacuees who broke into luxury suites just to look for any type of food or water....were nowhere to be seen.

Tonight, The Superdome was filled with Faith, Hope, Happiness and finally celebration.

President George H.W. Bush was at the game last night. He knows the Superdome all too well. This is where he gave his famous "thousand points of light" speech.How pleased he must have been to see, this very place and the people in it

BECOME a "point of light." "I'll turn Heartbreak Valley into Acres of Hope" ~Hosea 2:15

God, Thank You for Faith...and for the lessons in life whether found on a t-shirt or a football game, that in tragedy or victory, You will never leave us and and our Faith in You, WILL take us EVERYWHERE.

In His Dust,

DCC