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http://fineartamerica.com/featured /bleeding-heart --d005135-daniel-dempster.html Step one. I may have mentioned at some point in time about my church situation here in small town, Texas.  I was a part of a smallish non-denominational start-up for about three years, until November of last year, when at Sunday morning service, it was announced that this particular group of believers would no longer meet. I don't want to go into all the details, but this was pretty jolting for me.  Jolting enough that this daughter of a preacher man hasn't been in a church building since...not because i now hold a grudge or thing that churches are bad or any of that.  Because i was wounded, and i needed time to heal. I think it is a misconception to think that trusting God to help you forgive requires that you are not allowed to  experience the hurt that comes with being wounded.  I was and am wounded; i completely forgive those who wounded me; AND it still hurts anyway;...

I haven't ever really understood the “Lord's Prayer,” as it's called.  It seemed so wrote and insincere to me before. Until recently, that is, when I have found it difficult to pray.  I have wanted to pray, but i've had a really hard time getting going. My radio station does this thing they call “Pray Down at High Noon.”  All that means is that every day at noon, they stop their normal programming, and someone, intending to lead the listening audience, prays the “Lord's Prayer” on the air. One day, I happened to be near the radio for the Pray Down, and I prayed along.  The next morning when I wanted to pray, I started with “Our Father.”  I've been using the Lord's example prayer for a couple of weeks now.   You know, what has come to be known as the “Lord's Prayer,” was how Jesus instructed His disciples on the matter of how to pray.  I think it was meant to be a guide.  And finally, 30-something years after I first asked Jesus...

One of the things i look forward to the most about having a whole day at home, is that i can feel free to let the chickens freely roam the yard, with less fear that they will end the day in sad obliteration.  Today was one of those wonderful days.  Also, it was a beautiful day, weather-wise, and a good chance to take pictures. This is Chuck.  We got him as a tinsley teenager, and he has filled out beautifully! Check out that pose!  I'm a sucker for a beautiful rooster.  Look at that gorgeous color! In the nest boxes, we have Helen, on the left, and Chance, my old hen, the only survivor of our previous flock, on the right.  Helen, to my delight, has gone broody.  A hen who goes broody this early in life, often goes broody over and over and may become a wonderful, human-effort-free, chick-making machine.  It has been a long time since we made some baby chicks around here.  I'm very excited! Here's a little more Chu...

I'm pretty sure this is the fifth Tuesday. And i am presently pleasantly relieved that i gracefully ducked out of all those obligations i placed on myself at the beginning of the year. We've had a rocky weekend.  Yes, i know this is Tuesday. On Sunday, everything seemed to be going pretty normally.  Until Sunday afternoon, when my sweet love (aka gunslinginsuperhero) bit down on something - i think it was his finger, heard a loud pop, and found that he had broken his tooth smooth in half.  Ugh.  And ouch. When we got home, we discovered a flat tire on his truck, which had been sitting still - sans flat tire - since Friday. On Monday, my hubby had 3 teeth removed from his head, leaving him with a LOT of pain, and when we got home from that, we found that one of the headlights on the car has gone out. Also, the car payment is due. Happily, and thankfully, God is our great provider, even when things go wrong. We have a confirmed, very good dentist; we pa...

It's almost the end of January. And i'm ex haust ed. Someone i greatly respect said that it's good to evaluate your goals and revamp midstream.  O.k., that's not even close to a direct quote, but it's the basic idea, in my words, sort of. In any event. I am coming to face the fact that i have only a certain number of hours in the day.  More importantly, i have realized that the accomplishment of my goals are not accomplishing my goals. I want to be closer to Jesus, and i want to be a better person, a better servant, a better wife, a better.....whatever. But right now, i've been working so hard to accomplish my goals....that my house is a mess, and my normal organization is going just a little too far out the window.  I DO want to interrupt my normal routine, but not so much that i undo my previous improvements. SO i'm taking a step back and doing something that really hurts my feelings.  I'm going to back off of my New Years non-resolution...

The point of this challenge, you know, isn't just to have ideas to write about so that i blog more often -- although that's a perk.  The point is to interrupt my myself.  Interrupting the day-to-day grind seems to me more and more, to be essential. Obviously, my general quality of life and payment of bills is not affected adversely by the daily grind.  But it's the quality of LIFE that can be ground to death by the daily grind. I'm finding that this interruption is kind of stressful.  I like my routines and my schedules and my ... sleep. But the things that i want...to become more than i am - always - to keep becoming more like Jesus, more like the person and the vessel that God created me to be -- are not gained by the daily grind.  They are gained by stepping beyond normal.  Beyond just doing what i need to do to get the things that i think i need to live comfortably. This is kind of a pep talk for myself.  But also, i've been reading about ...

Did you know? That in South East Texas, the 'H' in the name of the city of Humble is silent? In every day speech, that local colloquialism often kind of bleeds over into other h-words, such as, well, the same word, humble, like humble ambitions. Herbs, in which the 'h' is supposed to be silent, is often pronounced like the short name for Herbert, which is sort of an opposite effect. Well, that might be about the extent of the 'h' effect. It's a fairly limited colloquialism.  But one i find very interesting. The reason i told you this cute tidbit of information is that i am finding myself influenced by the 'h' effect in an interesting way.  For a while now, whenever i say the name of this blog in my head, i have an 'h' switch.  I call it Umble Hambitions. Funny, huh? I've got more fascinating stories where that came from. Just you wait. Also, i've updated the Umble Hpictures page. Check it out!