God is Glue...

Once again I received an email I want to share...

I looked it up on Snopes and TruthandFiction and they both agree to a certain extent.

A couple of days ago I was running (I use that term very loosely) on my treadmill, watching a DVD sermon by Louie Giglio...and I was BLOWN AWAY!

I want to share what I learned....but I fear not being able to convey it as well as I want. I will share anyway.
He (Louie) was talking about how inconceivably BIG our God is...how He spoke the universe into being...how He breathes stars out of His mouth that are huge raging balls of fire...etc. etc. Then He went on to speak of how this star-breathing, universe creating God ALSO knitted our human bodies together with amazing detail and wonder. At this point I am LOVING it (fascinating from a medical standpoint, you know.) .....and I was remembering how I was constantly amazed during medical school as I learned more and more about God's handiwork. I remember so many times thinking...."How can ANYONE deny that a Creator did all of this???"
Louie went on to talk about how we can trust that the God who created all this, also has the power to hold it all together when things seem to be falling apart...how our loving Creator is also our sustainer.
And then I lost my breath.

And it wasn't because I was running my treadmill, either!!!It was because he started talking about laminin. I knew about laminin. Here is how wikipedia describes them :"Laminins are a family of proteins that are an integral part of the structural scaffolding of basement membranes in almost every animal tissue."

You see....laminins are what hold us together....LITERALLY. They are cell adhesion molecules. They are what holds one cell of our bodies to the next cell. Without them, we would literally fall apart. And I knew all this already.

But what I didn't know is what laminin LOOKED LIKE.
But now I do. And I have thought about it a thousand times since (already)....Here is what the structure of laminin looks like...AND THIS IS NOT a "Christian portrayal" of it....if you look up laminin in any scientific/medical piece of literature, this is what you will see...
Now tell me that our God is not the coolest!!!Amazing.The glue that holds us together....ALL of us....is in the shape of the cross.

Immediately Colossians 1:15-17 comes to mind."He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth , visible and invisible,whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities;all things were created by him and for him.He is before all things, and in him all things HOLD TOGETHER. "

Colossians 1:15-17
Call me crazy. I just think that is very, very, very cool. Thousands of years before the world knew anything about laminin, Paul penned those words. And now we see that from a very LITERAL standpoint, we are held together...one cell to another....by the cross.
You would never in a quadrillion years convince me that is anything other than the mark of a Creator who knew EXACTLY what laminin "glue" would look like long before Adam even breathed his first breath!!
Praise the Lord!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This weekend...

The Niemans finally got to spend their FIRST weekend camping at our lake lot.We were BUSY...busy...BuSy!

Did I mention we were busy this weekend?

Here is a recap of the accomplishments....

We didn't have to built the road but almost a month behind schedule...We officially have a road.

We also are now proud owners of our personnel Port-A-Potty!! How many of you can say that? We had our first meal...a grilled hot dog of course!Construction on the deck began...It's not small either...30'x20'!! Wowzie!!
We had Grandpa grilling burgers for the crew...

Ginger wants to help too...So she did by carrying a stick here and there.Then she found this one...so Malissa decided to help her out...

Grandpa over saw the construction process of the installation of our EZ Dock...It's not a ShoreLander Station...Sorry!

The brush pile had to be burned after the wind finally co-operated for a bit. The completed dock...
So now time for a lil fishing of Bullheads...
The gorgeous geese around this lake are amazing!

Daddy and daughter enjoying the view.

FUN+FUN=FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Angel Knocking at the Door...

Angel Knocking at the Door ...

There came a frantic knock at the doctor's office door,

A knock, more urgent than he had ever heard before.

"Come in, Come in," the impatient doctor said, "Come in, Come in, before you wake the dead."

In walked a frightened little girl, a child no more than nine, It was plain for all to see, she had troubles on her mind.

"Oh doctor, I beg you, please come with me, My mother is surely dying, she's as sick as she can be."

"I don't make house calls, bring your mother here,"

"But she's too sick, so you must come or she will die I fear."

The doctor, touched by her devotion, decided he would go,

She said he would be blessed, more than he could know.

She led him to her house where her mother lay in bed, Her mother was so very sick she couldn't raise her head.

But her eyes cried out for help and helped her the doctor did,

She would have died that very night

had it not been for her kid.

The doctor got her fever down

and she lived through the night,

And morning brought the doctor signs,

that she would be all right.

The doctor said he had to leave but would return again by two,

And later he came back to check,

just like he said he'd do.

The mother praised the doctor for all the things he'd done,

He told her she would have died, were it not for her little one.

"How proud you must be

of your wonderful little girl,

It was her pleading that made me come,

she is really quite a pearl!

"But doctor, my daughter died

over three years ago,

Is the picture on the wall

of the little girl you know?"

The doctors legs went limp

for the picture on the wall,

Was the same little girl

for whom he'd made this call.

The doctor stood motionless, for quite a little while, And then his solemn face,

was broken by his smile.

He was thinking of that frantic knock

heard at his office door,

And of the beautiful little angel

that had walked across his floor.

Share the Blessing of Heavenly Love!

If you shared the same emotions as I,

then send it to all who will care.

And as you send it to each person,

your heart will grow bigger and stronger.

I KNOW there are Angels among us.......

Silver Lake Update...

A couple a weeks ago (Mother's Day to be exact) we started to clear out land so we can have a view. With the help of Randy's folks and the kids we accomplished quite a bit. So then on Memorial Day we headed back to the lake to finish sawing up the trees we cut down into firewood. This coming weekend will be our FIRST official camping weekend here. The goal...the dock is coming on Saturday...Woohoo!! So excited to have a dock. Then we will be building a deck.

Hauling branches up the hill.

R.J hooking a "BIG" log up to be drug out.

G-pa sawing branches off.

We used the skid loader to reach the higher ones.

Here's the "Big" log on the way out...

A couple brothers and their families come to check out our site.

Almost done...

Honk if you love Jesus...

I received this in an email the other day...made me smile so I thought I'd share.

Dear Friend,

The other day I went up to a local Christian bookstore and saw a "honk if you love Jesus" bumper sticker.

I was feeling particularly sassy that day because I had just come from a thrilling choir performance, followed by a thunderous prayer meeting, so I bought the sticker and put it on my bumper.

Boy, I'm glad I did!

What an uplifting experience followed!

I was stopped at a red light at a busy intersection, just lost in thought about the Lord and how good He is...and I didn't notice that the light had changed.

It is a good thing someone else loves Jesus because if he hadn't honked, I'd never have noticed!

I found that LOTS of people love Jesus!

While I was sitting there, the guy behind started honking like crazy, and then he leaned out of his window and screamed, "For the love of GOD! GO! GO! Jesus Christ, GO!"

What an exuberant cheerleader he was for Jesus!

Everyone started honking! I just leaned out of my window and started waving and smiling at all these loving people.

I even honked my horn a few times to share in the love!

There must have been a man from Florida back there because I heard him yelling something about a "sunny beach"... I saw another guy waving in a funny way with only his middle finger stuck up in the air. I

asked my teenage grandson in the back seat what that meant, he said that it was probably a Hawaiian good luck sign or something.

Well, I've never met anyone from Hawaii, so I leaned out the window and gave him the good luck sign back.

My grandson burst out laughing ... he was enjoying this religious experience, too!

A couple of the people were so caught up in the joy of the moment that they got out of their cars and started walking towards me.

I bet they wanted to pray or ask what church I attended, but this is when I noticed the light had changed.

So, I waved to all my sisters and brothers grinning, and drove on through the intersection.

I noticed I was the only car that got through the intersection before the light changed again and I felt kind of sad that had to leave them after all the love we had shared, so I slowed the car down, leaned out of the window and gave them all the Hawaiian good luck sign one last time as I drove away.

Praise the Lord for such wonderful folks!

Love, Grandma

Happy 16th Birthday R.J...

R.J at one year old...May ~ 1994

Today my oldest son R.J turns 16. Where have the years gone? It seems like only yesterday he was a baby in my arms and now he is old enough to drive a car any where he wants too. (under certain conditons of course :)

So as I sit here and type these words I have tears rolling down my cheeks because I am so PROUD of him.

This is R.J and his 16th Birthday present...

It’s hard to put into words

The things I want to say

To tell you just how special

You are to me each and every day
You're loving, caring, and thoughtful

Just to mention three

It's such a joy having a son

Who means so much to me...

You are our dear Son

We truly love

Picked specially for mus

By the Lord above!

One of my favorite pictures...

Happy 16th Birthday lil buddy...You are forever loved by your Dad and Mama.

Ten Things Tuesday...

X-Box is BACK! Yea...actually it was back a couple of weeks ago and I have been busy.
so here we go...I am being thankful for things dealing with the word Mother.

1. I am Thankful for being a Mother my self...I love my three children with all my heart and that will never change.


2. I am Thankful for my husband, because with out him I wouldn't be the Mother I am to the three hoodlums.


3. I am Thankful for the gorgeous weather we had on Mother's Day. We were able to go to Silver Lake and clear out some trees and shrubs from the shore line to have more of a view and have some family bonding time.
   


4. I am Thankful I had the Mama I did. For it is how I was raised what makes me who I am today.


5. I'm Thankful that my Mom and Dad took us to church every Sunday...I wasn't always thankful then but as an adult I sure am.


6. I am Thankful for all the support my Mom-in-Law gives to us with our life decisions in following our dreams.


7. I am Thankful as a Mother I am learning how to pick my battles. I keep telling my self if it doesn't hurt them in getting into Heaven and it really isn't going to matter in the morning...It isn't worth fretting about. So whether they wear that favorite shirt with a home in it to church...It doesn't really matter.


8. I am Thankful of the Memories and pictures I have of my Mom.


9. I am Thankful for all my friends who are Moms so I can go to them for advise.


10. I'm Thankful I love being a mom so I can hear my children tell me they love me, open the Mother's Day card they made me, to feel the hugs they give me and being able to leave the over watered, dead flower she gave me on my desk at work because she gave it to me.

So if you are feeling inspired and need to read more reasons to be thankful...Head on over to XBOX WIFE.

Happy Mother's Day...

As Mother's Day rolls around this year...Once again I feel lost with out my Mama...She was the most AMAZING person...And I miss her so much...along with all those who knew her. So Mama in Heaven, I know you can hear me...I have these words to say to you..

Mama Dearest
© Deanne Finewood and revamped by Linda Nieman

Mama Dearest you will always be,

My mama so loving and so loved by me.

For God has taken you to be by his side,

Now in Heaven is where you will reside.

You have blessed me in so many ways ,

I will cherish every memory until the end of my days.

You left me too soon and this was not part of my plan,

But God’s wishes always come before those of man.

Without you I must travel my path alone,

No longer my guide, the way you had shown.

Your heart may have have gotten weak, but you were strong.

For your loving embrace I will always long.

God sent you to me as a special gift from above

To teach me life’s lessons and shower me with your love.

I will always remember your beautiful and smiling face,

In my heart you will always have a very special place.

A special bond we shared like no other

For this is possible for only Daughter and Mother!

I thanked God for each day we were able to share,

But without you in my life it is difficult to bear.

Being with God, I know you will find joy and peace,

In this I can find comfort and some happiness at least.

For Mama Dearest you will always be

My Mama so loving and so loved by me!

Over the years this Lady had become a very "Special" to me and has a place in my heart...

So too on this Mother's Day I want to say this to her...

One day I took the name

Of the son that you have raised

And if I could tell you just one thing

It's that you should be praised

Thank you for teaching him truth

Thank you for teaching him love

Thanks for being a Mother

Who looked to God above

The concern and care he shows me

Are things I prize in his life

It's said if he honors his Mother

A son will honor his wife

So as we pledge our vows that day

To love and cherish each other

I'm honored to be the daughter in law

Of such a precious Mother!

Love ya Both...

Linda

Dear Mothers...

Dear Mothers,

Here’s hoping all of you wonderful mothers have a very special day on Mother’s Day. You mothers truly are special people. I am sure you can all remember certain things about your own mother as you were growing up, but one thing always prevailed: Mom always knew. If we thought for a minute we were “getting away” with something—Mom always knew.

Now you are the moms and now (even though your kids aren’t convinced, yet) you always know. Some one once told me that we sure have great kids at South O’Brien, and I told him those kids have wonderful parents. I may have told you this before, but I really do believe your wonderful kids are the product of wonderful parents—especially moms—because mom always knows.

Have a very special Mother’s Day—but everyday should be a very special Mother’s day—because mom always knows.

Sincerely,

Bill Thompson (a wonderful friend from my community sent this in an email to several of us so I just had to share his SWEET thoughts.)

Whats for Dinner...

Can't eat pork...Swine Flu...

Can't eat chicken...Bird Flu...

Can't eat beef...Mad cow...

Can't eat eggs...salmonella...

Can't eat fish...heavy metal Poison in their water...

Can't eat fruits and vegitables...insecticides and herbicides...

Hmmmmmmmmm.....
M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

I believe that leaves chocolate and ice cream!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Remember ----STRESSED

spelled backwards

IS

DESSERTS

Blog this post and you will loose 2 pounds.

Ignore and you'll gain ten pounds immediately!

That's why I POSTED...i WASN'T ABOUT TO TAKE THAT CHANCE...

Plus I know it made you smile. :)

Climbing the Tree...

I just love these pictures of Malissa so I thought I'd share.

Wordless Wednesday...

Weekend in Bemidji, MN...

This past week I took Zach and Malissa out of school and we headed 350 miles pretty much straight north to Bemidji, MN to visit my oldest sister and to help my great-niece celebrate her First Communion.

So the couple vacation days before during the day I sat on the deck I watched the kids play...

Zach bought a Dragonfly helicopter to fly around. Do you see that lil green spot in the picture below...That is it. The next photo is a closer view.

The kids enjoyed the trampoline in their aunts backyard...

As you see, the trees are still very bare up in the Northwoods...But at least the sun was shining and the last of the snow has melted. On Friday we picked Nia up from school and while waiting for her we got to meet and hold the schools pet Izzy (a rat) however...those photos are on my phone and I have to have my oldest son help me get them off of there. I have never done that before.

Two of my children and two of my great nieces and me.

Nia did so good...I was very proud of her.

After the First Communion celebration and a fabulous meal we took the girls back to my sisters house for a Sponge Bob sleep over. However Lil Aubrie didn't really want here photo taken here.

But they were so cute in the matching PJ's. They also played in this lil tent thing for quite a while. We laughed so hard watching them throw the play balls back and forth.