I love football.  This is going to be a great football season!  I am looking forward to this year’s season for the following reasons:

 I’m the defensive coach for the Tecumseh Indians 7th grade team.

I plan on attending every High School home game.

I plan on tailgating and attending as many U of M home games as possible.

I have a decent fantasy football team.

What are your plans for this year’s season?

I’ve known Mabel for over 16 years and I’ve never seen her without her trademark smile.  She was a positive role model for me.  I’ve always said, “I want to be just like Mabel when I grow up!”  Mabel always had something good to say about somebody or something.  And man could she sing!  She is singing right now in the heavenly chorus.  Even when her body fought her with pain, she came to church to worship if humanly possible.  What a lasting legacy she leaves for her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and all who knew her.  Mabel’s hope was in Jesus.  Her hope is now realized.  She is with the One she loves.  See you soon dear sister!  Keep singing and smiling!

TECUMSEH — Martha (Mabel) Baskins-Baker, 90, of Tecumseh broke the bonds of this earth and went to her permanent Heavenly home to be with God. We believe the angels were rejoicing to see this saintly woman come home.

Mabel was born in Morrilton, Ark., on Feb. 26, 1916, the daughter of William and Annie (Williams) Kissire. On Jan. 26, 1935, she married William “Holland” Baskins who preceded her in death on May 13, 1977.

Mabel and Holland had three children, Donald (Chun) Baskins, Barbara (Bernie) Callis and Susan (Bob) Austin. They had nine grandchildren that they adored and who loved them dearly, Melinda, Rachel, Benjamin, Stephen, Richard, Matthew, Michael, Adam and Dustin. She had 15 great-grandchildren who were all very close to her. She was a part of all her children’s and grandchildren’s lives. She had three brothers, Bill, Frank and Buck, and two sisters, Annetta (Dawson) Gilmore and Atholene (Lee) Daas. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brothers, Bill and Buck.

In 1984 Mabel married William “Bill” Baker who also preceded her in death in 1989.

She is also survived by Bill’s five children, Lois, Jim, Jack, Jeff and Lisa. Another son, John, preceded Mabel in death.

She also had many nieces, nephews and friends from many cities and states. She was a member of the Church of Christ in Tecumseh, served God faithfully and was an inspiration to many.

Mabel was simply the best mother, wife, grandma, sister, aunt and friend anyone could have. She will be greatly missed by all.

The family will receive friends at the Tecumseh Chapel of Couture-Handler Funeral Homes on Friday, Aug. 25, 2006, from 2-8 p.m. Her funeral will be held at the Church of Christ in Tecumseh at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 26, with Tom Haddox officiating. Burial will follow in Franklin Township Cemetery, Tipton. The family will also receive friends at the church from 10 a.m. until the time of services on Saturday.

Contributions may be made to the charity of the donor’s choice. Condolences may be offered to the family at www.couture-handler.com.

Life is so much better when shared with your pals.  It is especially joyful when your pals are also your cousins. 

Everyone needs a pal.  What’s a pal?  Good ole Webster defines a pal as simply a close friend. 

A pal is someone you can open up with and really be yourself.  A pal is genuine. 

Sharing anything with a pal multiplies the joy.  

A true pal is there for you through both the good times and the bad. 

A pal will cheer with you when you hit a homerun and let you know, in a loving way, when you’ve messed up. 

A genuine pal will be with you for a lifetime. 

Life is so much better when it’s shared with a pal.  My best pal is my wife.

“What do you mean I’m not the blogfather anymore?”

I have set a goal to learn by heart the letter of Paul to the church at Ephesus.  I have another pastor who is partnering with me in this goal. 

During this pursuit we will dig deeply for the precious jewels that are found in this Christ filled mine. 

Are there any others out there that would like to join us in this journey? 

We are meeting weekly at the Mustard Seed on Wednesdays at 8:00 a.m. to share what we are learning and experincing - as well as practicing what we have learned by heart.

I hope you have noticed, I did not say memorize, rather, “learn by heart.”  If you wish to know the difference….stay tuned…..

Here is another great read.  The book is built on Ephesians 5 where a man is told to love his wife as Christ loves the church and a woman is told to respect her husband.

Husbands and wives get on this crazy cycle where he does not show her love and her response is to not respect him which leads to him not showing love to her not respecting…it’s a vicious cycle.

  Do you want to learn the energizing cycle of change?  Do you want to enjoy the rewarded cycle of new passion?  Then get this book and read it! 

For those who want to discover the single principle that will bring lasting change to their marriage….this book is a must read.

Pastor Rick Warren established these Saddleback staff standards for maintaining moral integrity.  But, I got to thinking, why would these standards not apply to all of God’s people for protecting their integrity?  I would encourage everyone to apply these standards to protect your moral integrity:

-         Thou shalt not go to lunch alone with the opposite sex.

-         Thou shalt not have the opposite sex pick you up or drive you places when it is just the two of you.

-         Thou shalt not kiss any attender of the opposite sex or show affection that could be questioned.

-         Thou shalt not visit the opposite sex alone at home.

-         Thou shalt not counsel the opposite sex alone at the office (or anywhere else), and thou shalt not counsel the opposite sex more than once without that person’s mate. Refer them.

-         Thou shalt not discuss detailed sexual problems with the opposite sex in counseling. Refer them.

-         Thou shalt not discuss your marriage problems with an attender of the opposite sex.

-         Thou shalt be careful in answering emails, instant messages, chatrooms, cards, or letters from the opposite sex.

-         Thou shalt make your secretary (or your spouse) your protective ally.

-         Thou shalt pray for the integrity of other staff (church) members.

http://i.euniverse.com/funpages/cms_content/2529/4candles.swf

Just when you think, “Thank you God for giving me the three best kids I could ever have asked for,” and you think, “life could never get any better”….God sends precious grandchildren!  Here are 2 of the 4 joys of my life.  Tommy took this fantastic picture.  He has really captured the precious, trusting, innocent joy of children in one snap.  No wonder Jesus said, “for such is the kingdom of heaven.”   

10. Confront to heal, not to win.
Some people view conflict and confrontation as a win-lose situation. These spouses see being right as far more important than the marital relationship. But working out a hurtful issue is not about who’s right and who’s wrong. Your goal should not be to win, but to confront a conflict and restore the harmony in your relationship. Whenever possible, the solution to a problem should benefit both parties. When both spouses feel good about a resolution, it will reestablish the emotional bond between the two of you. Confronting to heal instead of to win will keep your marriage on healthy ground.