text:
This is the home page for the Detailed Builder's Notes for the Softrock RXTX V6.3 Software Defined Radio transceiver, the latest in a series of SDR kits offered by Tony Parks KB9YIG. Availability, Pricing, and Ordering can be found at: Tony's website.
These notes are also available in PDF form here, thanbks to Craig AB9IV.
These notes were developed as the author moved through an actual build. The kit is a multi-band transceiver, using plugable bandpass filter and PA/LPF boards to provide operation across popular ham bands from 160m to 10m. This build focuses on the implementation using 80/40 meter plug boards . These instructions and included component bills of material provide the guidance for constructing all plug boards for all bands, however, pictures and examples will be based on the 80/40 m boards .
Much of the documentation was initially developed from the original RXTX V6.2 and Lite+Xtall V9.3 documentation and based upon an excellent work by Leonard, KC0WOX, without which this could not have been accomplished. As the build progressed, the author posted necessary changes to the affected web pages and logged them in the "revisions" page. If your browser is caching pages, you may need to hit the "refresh" key (F5 on IE and Firefox) to get the latest version of the page.
The intent in providing these detailed instructions is to help the less experienced
builder through what might otherwise be a daunting task.
The instructions provide a stage-by-stage build process, allowing the builder to build a single stage and then test it ("sanity check") before moving on to the next stage.
While it is in the nature of amateur radio operators to probe and experiment, it should be known that this kit and its design, as expressed herein,was carefully designed to specifications. The builder can expect to achieve published specifications and results if, and only if, he/she builds this kit in strict accordance with the design documented herein. Any modifications of, omissions from, or departures from the design or its components are done only at the builder's peril.
If you are a more experienced builder and would prefer to build the kit entirely and then test it (i.e., you would prefer not to follow the staged approach herein), here is the very abbreviated sequence of steps for building the main board see Ed, KT6F's excellent pictorial blog of his build process):
- mount all the SMT caps
- mount all the SMT ICs. If a CMOS Si570 is used do not mount U8
- mount all the resistors and diodes using the board silkscreen patterns to determine if the part is mounted flat to the board or hairpin style. If a CMOS Si570 is used, omit R43.
- If a CMOS Si570 is used be sure to add the CMOS jumper wire
- mount all the ceramic caps except for C34 which is mounted after J3 and J4 are mounted
- mount all the electrolytic caps (observe the polarity marks)
- mount transistors
- mount J3 and J4 with using the 9-pin piece of header as a tool to get good alignment of J3 and J4.
- mount C34
- mount U4 using #4 hardware
- mount J1 and J2
- mount the PIC 8-pin socket
- mount the DIP switch
- build PA/Filter board(s)
- build BPF board(s)
For the rest of us, read on.
Some stages may provide considerable background info. For those who would rather skip the background info and just get with the building, the critical steps and tests in each stage will be highlighted by special Icons:
This icon identifies a construction step in the build stage
This icon identifies a test operation in the build stage
This icon identifies a test (not strictly needed) you can perform if you have an oscilloscope. One should be able to successfully build and test this kit with only a DMM of average accuracy.
This icon indicates that the builder can use a ham transceiver (RX or TX) to perform a test on frequency related tests.
This icon indicates that the builder should be especially aware of a possible "gotcha" in the current build step.
The builder can register into the Softrock users group on Yahoo to pose any questions, comments, or issues to the many talented users/builders who are constantly posting to and reading from that group.
Any comments or corrections should be directed to the author, Robby WB5RVZ, and would be most appreciated.
Credit is due to several sources, including, but not limited to, Tony KB9YIG, Leonard KC0WOX, and Alex VE3NEA.
Each stage will begin with a subset of the overall schematic diagram. You can reference the two full diagrams provided with the kit by clicking on the following links:
- Sheet 1 - TX and Misc
- Sheet 2 - RX
- Sheet 3 - Band-specific PA and Filter Boards
- Sheet 4 - Band-specific RX Bandpass Filter Boards
- Sheet 5 - Additional Low Pass Filters (for 80 and 30m)
Schematic subsets have been annotated with "fat" dots on the "hairpin" end of resistors which are mounted as such. For flat-mounted resistors, the dot corresponds to the left-hand lead (if the resistor is mounted horizontally) or the top lead (if the resistor is mounted vertically). This provides the builder with come convenient test points (i.e., the "hairpin", "top", or "left-hand" leads) immediately recognizable in the schematics.
Bill of Materials
Before beginning work on the kit, you should inventory it against the Billof Materials. In each stage, there will be a subset of the Bill of Materials related to that stage alone. You can use that subset as a checklist of the components to be installed in the stage.
Build Notes
Each stage will have a set of graphics (board top and bottom) and Summary and Detailed instructions on how to complete that stage. Where there may be "gotchas" or special techniques or special sequences of tasks, they will be noted under the "Build It" icon
The summary instructions for each page will immediately follow the stage schematic. It is an abbreviated set of tasks for that build stage, summarizing the detailed build notes which follow, and ending with a clickable link to go diretly to the Testing Section. This will enable the builder to review the entire stage and then, print out the first 1 or 2 pages of the stage to serve as a hardcopy schematic, BOM, and sequenced tasklist for that stage.
- Inventory the kit
- Build and test the 12, 5 and 3.3 Vdc power supplies
- Build and test the Local Oscillator
- Build and test the Dividers
- Build and test the RX OpAmps
- Build and test the RX Mixer(QSD)
- Build and test the RX BPF(s);
- Build and test the TX OpAmps
- Build and test the TX Mixer (QSE)
- Build and test the PTT circuits
- Build and test the RX Switching circuits
- Build and test the PA/Filter(s)/
- Install the External Connectons
Each stage will have a "Testing" Section, outlining one or more tests that, when successfully completed, provide you with the confidence and assurance that you are heading in the right direction towards a fully tested and built transceiver. This kit can be built and reliably tested using nothing more than a common multimeter.
Most stages will have a current draw test, in which the builder tests the stage's current draw in two different ways:
- First, testing the draw through a current-limiting resistor
- Then, when that test is OK, removing the current-limiting resistor and measuring the real current draw.
Tests assume that the builder has a decent digital multimeter of sufficiently high input impedance as to minimize circuit loading issues. Measurements will be taken of current draws, test point voltages, and resistances.
When you perform a test, you should always record the results of the test where indicated in the Testing section. This will make troubleshooting via the reflector much easier, since you will be communicating with the experts using a standard testing and measurement regime.
When comparing measurements to those published in these notes, the builder should be aware that actual and expected values could vary by as much as +/- 10%. The idea behind furnishing "expected/nominal" measurement values is to provide the builder with a good, "ballpark" number to determine whether or not the test has been successful. If the builder has concerns about his measurements, he should by all means pose those concerns as a query in the Softrock reflector so the experts can provide assistance.
The IQGen or DQ-Gen programs available free from Michael Keller, DL6IAK, can be used in a pinch to get the sound card to produce audio tones for injection into the circuit.
You can always use Rocky to generate I and Q signals for tests requiring these audio signals (this is the author's preferred way)
Background Info
View above video example on Youtube
- Read the Primer on SMT Soldering at the Sparkfun site. It is a very good read and it speaks great truths. Then take the time to watch the video tutorial on soldering an SOIC SMD IC.
- Solder Stations. Don't skimp here. Soldering deficiancies account for 80 percent of the
problems surfaced in troubleshooting. It is preferable to have an ESD-safe station, with a
grounded tip. A couple of good stations that are relatively inexpensive are:
Velleman VTSS5U 50W Solder Station (approx $20 at Frys)
Harbor Freight ESD Solder Station (under $50)
ESD Protection
Work Area
- You will need a well-lit work area and a minimum of 3X magnification (the author uses a cheap magnifying flourescent light with a 3X lens. This is suplemented by a hand-held 10 X loupe - with light - for close-in inspection of solder joints and SMT installation.
- You should use a cookie sheet or baking pan (with four sides raised approximately a half an inch) for your actual work space. It is highly recommended for building on top of in order to catch stray parts, especially the tiny SMT chips which, once they are launched by an errant tweezer squeeze, are nigh on impossible to find if they are not caught on the cookie sheet.
Misc Tools
- It is most important to solidly clamp the PCB in a holder when soldering. A "third-hand" (e.g., Panavise or the Hendricks kits PCB Vise) can hold your board while soldering. In a pinch, you can get by with a simple third-hand, alligator clip vise. Jan G0BBL suggests "A very cheap way is to screw a Large Document Clip to a woodblock which will clamp the the side of a PCB."
- Magnifying Head Strap
- Tweezers (bent tip is preferable).
- Diagonal side cutters.
- Small, rounded jaw needle-nose pliers.
- Set of jewelers' screwdrivers
- An Exacto knife.
- Fine-grit emery paper.


text: HOT RIBBON ART is a 2-sided 1/8 inch ribbon that adheres to fabric and paper surfaces when heated with an iron. On one side is glossy ribbon surface; the other holds the special glue that bonds when heated, allowing you to make easy iron-on transfers. Hot Ribbon comes in 20 colors, plus gold and silver metallic. Hot Ribbon can also be used for applique and is perfect for quilters.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
SANTA CLARA — The 49ers took a calculated risk by placing backup running back Kendall Hunter on waivers. The gamble paid off when Hunter cleared waivers Tuesday and moved to the 49ers injured-reserve list.
Any of the league's 31 other teams had the opportunity to claim Hunter in the 24 hours after he was waived by the 49ers, who gambled that no team would do so because of financial reasons.
Hunter suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee early in training camp. He is expected to miss all of the upcoming season.
If a team had claimed Hunter, it would have assumed his $645,000 base salary for this season and been obligated to cover his rehabilitation.
Another thing that made claiming Hunter a risky proposition is that he is in the final year of his contract.
Therefore, Hunter is a free agent at season's end. If a team had claimed Hunter, the only benefit it would have enjoyed is exclusive negotiating rights on a new contract until free agency started in mid-March.
The 49ers knew all that and rolled the dice, which enabled them to use Hunter's roster spot on running back Glenn Winston on Monday.
Now Hunter is back with the 49ers, at least for the rest of this season. It's likely that the 49ers will try to re-sign Hunter for 2015, if not beyond.
Hunter, who turns 26 in September, rushed for 1,202 yards and seven touchdowns in 43 regular-season games from 2011-13. He also caught 27 passes as the primary backup to Frank Gore.
For more on the 49ers, see Cam Inman's Hot Read blog at blogs.mercurynews.com/49ers. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/CamInman.


text:
This morning, as we come to our message, we're going to be digressing from 1 Corinthians because I want to share with you a message that maybe we needed to share a long time ago. As you well know, I have a great love for the church, not only Grace Community Church, but the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ in general. I have a great love for men of God, for pastors in churches, so I have a great burden that the church should be what God intended it to be. When I hear the words of the apostle Paul in Acts 20, and he said, "Take care of the church, which Christ has purchased with His own blood," that's a tremendously serious responsibility. And I have a great concern for the church, and at Grace Church, we have endeavored to be obedient to the Word of God in framing the directives of this church.
We are not all what God would have us to be, by any means, but we believe that we have a grip on some of the basics that make a church what it ought to be. Off and on, scattered here and there, from time to time, we've endeavored to share with you these priorities, these basics. But this morning, I want to pull all of them together, and I want to share with you, and it will take us two weeks, this week and next week. I want to share with you, what are the marks of an effective church.
No week goes by, I guess no day goes by, but some other church contacts us and asks us to help give them direction. They desire to know how it is that God has blessed us and what it is that we have done that has caused that. Well, this is a ministry that goes on constantly. About a year or more ago, we put out a little syllabus, a little leadership syllabus, and we can't keep them. In fact, they're all gone and in a reprint now. They're distributed all over the country, because there's such a desire to know what are the foundational principles of a church that is effective for God. And that's really what I want to share with you this morning.
And God has blessed Grace Community Church. There's no question about that. God has displayed evidence of His power and His presence again and again and again. Blessings from His grace have been abundantly heaped upon us. We've seen people saved, we've seen lives changed, we've seen homes put back together, we've seen Christians maturing, we've seen them reproductive, we've seen people coming from many places to be a part of Grace Church. There is something here that God is doing, that God is blessing, and I really feel in my heart that maybe everything we've already seen is only the prologue if the Lord should carry to what He could do or what He will do.
And people are saying why is it happening there? Our church has the same Scriptures, the same Holy Spirit, the same Lord Jesus Christ, and it doesn't seem as though too much is going on at our place. Why is it happening there? Well, maybe the best answer to that is because God is sovereign, and God chose to have it happen here, and we're just spectators. And, in a sense, that is true, isn't it? God builds His church. Jesus builds His church, we don't, and He builds it the way He wants, where He wants, when He wants, how He wants. And yet, that isn't all of the story. It isn't just is sovereign choice. There must be submission to certain principles that allow the church to be all that the Lord wants it to be. There are some basic things. Size is not the issue. There are tremendously successful and God-blessed churches that are very small. There are other churches that are very large and having no spiritual success or very little spiritual success.
You never measure a church's spiritual light by its numbers. The easiest thing to do is attract people. That's easy. A hard one is to make disciples. Size isn't the issue. Conferences are held all over America constantly on how to be big. I've never gone to one of them. I'm not interested in that. Who needs to be big? That isn't the issue. The issue is to how to make disciples, and it seems as though we have been trapped in a contest across our land to see who's the biggest church. That isn't the point. That is irrelevant to God.
There are reasons, though, why a church does prosper spiritually, and why it does grow numerically, and these reasons, I think, are important for us to understand. I suppose that I've always been committed to these principles. In fact, I'm confident that I have, but I never really set them out in order. I needed somebody else to do that for me. And when I was at the Moody Pastors' Conference with Jerry Mitchell and Jim Harris and our staff, Howard Hendricks from Dallas Theological Seminary, spoke one day. And in his message, he gave what he felt were the marks of a successful church. He didn't take very much time, and he didn't elaborate on them in detail, and he didn't give any scriptural support for them. That wasn't his purpose. He just listed them. He said, "In all of my travels around the country," and he's been preaching in church after church after church after church for years and years. He says, "In every kind of church, from small to large, from very, very traditional, very routine ritual-oriented to very free-form, let-it-all-hang-out kind of churches. And all these churches, conglomerate, have had the same key factors that have made them successful." So, he said, "These are the things that I have seen as the common denominators of a successful church, and the more of these the church has, the more successful it is. Not all of them have all of them, but all of them have some of them. And the more they have, the more successful they are."
Well, I listened to that message, and I felt like somebody was reciting to me all of the things I believe, and you'll never know how confirming that was to my heart, to know that the things that we believe in here are not something that we pulled out of the air, but here's somebody who's never been to this church in his life, somebody that I never talked to prior to that, and he says these are the things that make a church what God wants it to be.
Well, I have felt also, not to add anything to him or take anything away from him, but I felt there were some other things as well that I would add to the list, so some of his and some of mine has become the message this morning. Number 1. You can just jot them down. There will be more than ten, but that's all you need for today. We'll never get close to that. Number 1, now, here are key ingredients in a successful church.
One, a plurality of godly leaders; a plurality of godly leaders. You cannot bypass this and get to God's blessing. There must be godliness in leadership. There must be Holy men who are in the positions of direction and responsibility in a church. There is no substitute for that. "Christ is the head of the church," Paul says repeatedly. Ephesians, Colossians. Christ, as the head of the church, wants to rule His church. All He needs to rule His church is Holy people through whom He can rule. Unholy people just get in the way. It's amazing how most churches choose their leadership: the people who are most successful in business, the people who have the most to say, the people who have the most money, the people who are professional people. That's how most churches choose. I had a pastor confess to me one of the problems that he had in working with his Board was that half of them were Christians in and a half of them were not, and I said, yes, that is a problem, since Satan and Christ don't cooperate. A man is not to be the leader of the church because he is the wisest, because he is the best businessman, because he has the most money, because he has innate leadership ability, because he is a super-salesman. He is to be a leader in a church because he is a Man of God.
That is the beginning of all effectiveness in the church. God has always mediated his rule in the world through godly people. You go back in the beginning, and God mediated his rule on earth through Adam, and even after the fall, it was through human conscience, and after that, it was through government, and then after that, God began to mediate His rule through patriarchs, and after that. And then it was through judges, remember? And then, it was through kings and prophets and priests, and in the gospels of Canaan, he mediated his rule on earth through the presence of Christ; and now, it is through the church, and the church is specifically by its leaders, and the leaders are simply the representatives of Jesus Christ in the world, and the primary ingredient in leadership is Holiness, men of God. That's what's needed in the church.
And it takes time to make a man of God. Do you know that? It takes time. 40 years, it took God to make something out of Moses. It took years of Joshua being an understudy to Moses before Joshua was ready to lead. It took years to prepare Abraham. It took years to prepare David. It took time and effort and work to get Peter straightened out. It took time in the desert to make something out of Paul. It took time for Philip to cease being a deacon and become an evangelist. Takes time to make a man of God.
When Timothy stayed in Ephesus, he realized that he had to really get the church rolling, and the job was to bring the saints to maturity, and he knew that he couldn't do it alone, but that he needed leaders for the church. And so Paul said to him, "That's good, Timothy, it is commendable for a man to desire to be a leader, but you make sure he is a certain kind of man. You just don't want volunteers; you want certain kind of men." Titus faced the same thing in Crete. Paul said to him, "Now, Titus, you ordained elders in every city. You pick out those leaders, but make sure they are certain kinds of leaders. They are godly leaders." And so, in 1 Timothy 1 to 7, in Titus 1:5 to 10, Paul gives a profile of a godly leader. These are the kind of people that are to be leading the church. I'm going to give you the qualifications, and there are 20 of them given in those two passages. I'm just going to read them; listen.
Leaders are to be above reproach. That's a great place to start, isn't it? Above reproach. That is, to be unblamable, to have nothing in their life for which they can be reproached or blamed or rebuked. Secondly, they are to be one-woman men; that is, they are to love their wives totally and devotedly. Third, they are to be temperate. That means stable, spiritually, solid. They have it together. They've got a clear, biblical, spiritual perspective on life. Fourth, they are to be prudent. Sometimes, the word is translated sober-minded, and it means they know the priorities. They know the priorities. Fifth, they are to be respectable. That means they have such a well-ordered life, such a well-arranged life that they are honored for it. Sixth, hospitable. That means they are to love strangers. Seventh, they are to be apt to teach. That's one word in the Greek, a word that is used very seldom, only twice. It is didaktikos. It is never used to speak of the gift of teaching, and it is never used to speak of the office of teacher. It is something different. It is not saying that a leader must be a great Bible teacher. You're saying that he must be didaktikos. That means two sides of the same thing. He must be teachable, that's one side of it; and he must be able to communicate to others. And the idea of the word is not so much the dynamics of his teaching as the sensitivity to other people. That is, he is not only teachable, but he teaches with a meekness, and a gentleness, and a right spirit. Nothing is worse in leadership then a guy who comes on like this. "Listen, this is what you got to do because this is what it says, so do it or else." See? No, that doesn't make it. This word is somebody whose gentleness is teachable and whose gentleness shows up as he communicates. It's a sensitivity word. It's a gentle word. It's a submissive word, somebody who can receive and give with sensitivity.
Eighth, he is not to be addicted to wine or any alcohol or any drugs of any kind. He's to be in control of himself. Number nine, not self-willed. That means self-centered. You can't have people in leadership who are all concerned about themselves. The most important thing about a leader, in this area, is that he be concerned not about himself, but about the people, right? The people that he's leading. And I find that this is a tremendous thing. It's so much easier for me to preach in this church. It really is. I would rather preach here than anyplace. You say that's because you know we love you and we tolerate you. Well, that's part of it, but the major factor is this: I preach here with a totally different mental attitude than I do anywhere else. When I preach here, I am concerned about you because I'm caught up in your lives, and I am preaching in order that you might learn, and that you might grasp these things, and that your life might be changed. But when I go somewhere else, I don't know anybody sitting out there, and so, you know, I'm not concerned about them. I'm concerned about me. That's right. I'm more concerned about how I come across than about what they learn because I don't know them. And I find that I'm much more able to teach here and preach here because it's you that I care about. When I go somewhere else, all I'm thinking is, "Boy, all those people are going to say, 'That John MacArthur. Let's check him out, see if he's any good.'" So, we are to be not self-centered, but people-centered, not self-willed. All right?
Ten, not quick-tempered. Leadership cannot be quick-tempered, patient. Eleven, not cognatious. Remember that old word, cognatious? What does that mean? It means literally not a physical fighter. For a leader of the church, you don't want somebody who goes around popping people with their fist. That's literally what it means. It doesn't mean attitude; it's the actual act of delving somebody. You don't want a guy at a board meeting, standing up and going, "Yeah, you know," shoving the guy off the table or something. Twelve, and here comes the attitude. You don't want somebody who's contentious. That word's only used in the Bible in these two lists, and it means somebody who likes to compete and debate, who wants to argue all the time. Number thirteen, he is to be gentle. Fourteen, free from the love of money. Not necessarily free from money, free from the love of it. Fifteen, managing his house well. That means he keeps his children under control with dignity. I'm sure there are some people who keep their kids under control, but I'm not so sure they do it with dignity. Sixteen, a good reputation with unbelievers. I mean, what does the world think of him? That's important, because he's out there knocking heads with them, and they're going to know whether he's for real. Seventeen, loving what is good. A lover of good things. Eighteen, just, which means fair. Nineteen, devout, which means he is Holy in his practical life. Twenty, not a new convert.
Now, there you have the qualifications given in the Scriptures for leaders in the church. Do you think it's important? Do you think God has got a message there for us? That's the kind of people he wants in leadership. If you don't have that, then at the very beginning, you've got problems. In fact, it's so important that when an elder sins, he is to be publicly rebuked in front of the whole congregation, 1 Timothy 5:20; men of God. God wants. Look at 1 Timothy 6, and let me just show you that term appears in the Bible, Man of God, 1 Timothy 6:11, Paul says to Timothy, "That thou, O Man of God." That's a beautiful title, Man of God. What does it mean? Well, there are two sides to a man, and one is negative and one is positive. The negative side; flee these things. The positive side, what? Follow after these things. So, Man of God flees certain things, and the earlier part of the chapter discusses those: pride, money, discontent, using his authority to manipulate people, et cetera, et cetera. He flees those; he follows Verse 11, righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness and fights the good fight of faith. In the leadership of the church, the Bible says there must be godly men, godly leaders and a plurality of them, more than one.
All right, the second point, the second thing necessary to an effective church, and we're not, by any means, exhausting these, just suggesting them, but the second is that the church must have functional goals and objectives. Now, we must say that the word "functional" is the most important word. We must have functional goals and objectives. And people with no goals are people with no direction, and if you don't know where you're going, you don't know when you've gotten there, so you have no sense of accomplishment. We can't be like the man who jumped on his horse and ran off madly in all directions. There has to be some direction to what we're doing. Can you imagine a baseball game with no bases? Wouldn't have a lot of sense to it, would it? You hit the ball and you wouldn't know what to do. There have to be goals. There have to be clear-cut objectives placed before people so they know what they are to zero in on.
Howard Hendricks said, "The reason so many of us feel we're doing so well is that we don't know what we're doing." There must be the establishing of goals. Now, first, there must be the establishing of biblical objectives. Now, if I were to ask you what the biblical objectives of the church are, you would be able to answer me. I'm quite confident of that because we've told you and told you and told you. We are to win people to Christ, and we are to make them into mature saints, right? We call that evangelism identification or reach and teach or whatever. We are to win people to Jesus. We are to mature them. We have goals such as this. We want to unify families and prevent divorce and unhappy homes. We want to educate children and the things of God and bring Him out, so that when there are old, they won't depart from them. We have a lot of biblical goals.
But, in addition to biblical goals, we must have functional goals. And this is the thing I want to talk about for a minute. Functional goals are stepping stones to get to biblical ones. It isn't enough to say, "Now, folks, we must learn the Word of God," and then just keep saying it. You must go a step further and provide some steps to get to that goal, right? For example, if we say we want to edify, we want to build up the church, we want to mature in the saints, the next thing we say is: how are we going to accomplish that?
Number one, I know this is what I'm going to do. I will teach the Word of God from the pulpit. That is an objective that is functional. I will do that, and that will realize, in part, the biblical goal of maturity, right? Not only that, we will develop a system of education. We call it ACTS, Active Christian Training Seminars, where people can go at whatever level of understanding they want, and whatever level they feel they're capable of handling, and learn whatever they need to learn. And so, we have a scramble system, where adults can go here and there and learn as they feel the need to know.
In addition to that, we will develop the Logos Bible Institute for people who have reached a certain level and want more knowledge of the Word of God. We'll have classes at night. Now, we find more people who are available in the day; we'll have them in the daytime. These are functional objectives to realize biblical goals. Not only that, we know there are people who would like to meet together in other places and not have to come here. Let's have home Bible studies, and so we have, I guess, about 50 or 60 of those going on.
We have family curriculum provided for the fathers and the family to supplement your own training in the home. This is another functional objective. We have that goal, we wanted to accomplish that, and now we've realized it. We want to have an ACTS program; now, we have it. We wanted to have a Logos; we have it. We wanted to have a family program. Thank God, we have that. You see, we set some functional goals, and we realized those goals, and we have more.
Now, sometimes, we set a functional goal and we don't always realize it, because sometimes, God has different plans than we do, but that's fun because when something doesn't work out, we can say God did it. There's a great first that you ought to remember. It's Proverbs 16:9. It says this: "The mind of a man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." The mind of a man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. We'll lay the plans, but God may divert us. But that's great, 'cause that's His prerogative. You remember, the apostle Paul, in Acts, was trying to go into Bithynia, and the Holy Spirit didn't let him? And then he said, "Well, okay, I'll go over here," and the Holy Spirit didn't let him go their either. So, he couldn't go north, he couldn't go south, he'd already been east. He said, "I guess I'm supposed to go west." He went west, and, all of a sudden, he got a call, a call to Macedonia. God shut some things off that He thought were functional objectives and directed him anywhere he wanted him to go. God is in the business of changing our plans, which is great. Let Him do it. Paul wrote to Romans, and he said, "I'm going to come to you on the way to Spain." He set some goals. Some you realize, some you don't, and you have to submit all of them to the direction of God. But it is important that you have those.
Another goal that we have in the church, in the biblical sense, is even evangelism. We want to win people to Christ, don't we? How are we going to get to that? Well, one way is to preach the responsibility of the believer to evangelize. Another way is to offer classes in evangelism. Another way is to insert in the bulletin what you see in there this morning, which, periodically appears as an impetus, a motivator, an instruction on how to be more effective in your witness. You see, these are functional goals that help us realize biblical objectives. The reason we have baptism on Wednesday night the way we do, where we have the people give a testimony and said, I usually will say, "Whoever led this person to Christ, are you here?" Have you heard me say that? Are you here? I said, "Who is it? Is it Mrs.," so, the reason I do that is because I want the other people to know that these people are being faithful in sharing Christ, that it might become a motivation for the rest of us to have the joy of seeing somebody baptized that we led to Christ. They're all different ways to get at it. These are functional goals. They've got to be there. You can't just be nebulous. You've got to give people objectives and move toward them.
All right, thirdly, the effective church also has a strong emphasis on discipleship, a strong emphasis on discipleship. Now, remember, these are things that are true of any successful church anywhere in America or anywhere else in the world. These are things that are not just what I believe, but these are things proven to be success factors, a strong emphasis on discipleship.
There must be a concerted effort to teach people the Word of God to bring them to maturity, and everybody is to be involved in that. The teaching pastor is to perfect the saints. The saints are to do the work of the ministry that the body may be built up. You can build the church by your ministry, even as I am building you by my ministry. We are to be involved in the process of discipling people. Paul put it this way to Timothy: "We are to teach faithful man, who shall be able to," what? "Teach others also." The cycle goes on and on and on. The aged man or the older men teach the younger men. The older women teach the younger women. The younger man, it says in Titus 2, "You are to be examples to the ones even under them." A Christian who isn't discipling somebody is a contradiction. You're supposed to be reproducing. You have the germ seed of reproductive life planted in you, and it ought to be operative. We are to be constantly reproducing ourselves.
Now, I look at my own ministry, and let me give you an illustration. I look at my own ministry as a series of circles. The first circle is the personal group of people around me that I disciple. That's a primary minister. The next circle would be the elders or the leaders of the church that I work with. The third circle would be the congregation that I preach to, and the fourth circle would be the lives of people that are touched by tapes and books and conferences elsewhere. But the priority of my ministry is to take some people and make them disciples. One of the great joys of my life is the realization that of a staff of 23 at Grace Church, 22 of them have come from our congregation. Ministering staff; not just the ones I've discipled, but ones discipled by others of the staff, and there are more coming along all the time, and the process continues and continues and continues. This is what the church is to emphasize. This is not a professional pulpitism financed by lay spectators. You don't come in and drop your nickel in the pot and say, "Now, I've paid you guys. Do it." No.
A guy says to me, "When do you do visitation?" I say, "What do you mean by that?" "Well, when do you do your pastoral visitation?" I said, "Well, I don't do any pastoral visitation." "You don't?" "Well, it's been traditional in the church for years that the mornings are for study, and all the afternoons are for visiting." I said, "Well, where does it say that in the Bible?" "Well, it's got to be in there somewhere." Where does it say that I'm supposed to do visiting all afternoon? It does say something about visiting. You know what it says? It says in James, "Pure religion and undefiled is to visit." Pure religion and undefiled is to visit? Who, then, is to be involved in pure religion and undefiled, just the preacher? Everybody. Who, then, is to visit? Everybody. Visitation isn't my job. It's everybody's job. You know, if you've got somebody to visit, visit them. If I've got somebody to visit, I'll visit them. You'll visit the somebody you're supposed to visit, and I'll visit the somebody I'm supposed to visit. We won't get messed up that way. No sense in me visiting who you ought to visit and you visiting who I ought to visit. Do you say, "Do you ever do any visiting?" Sure, I do, when there's somebody that I feel needs me, when there's some reason I need to seem someone; absolutely, but I don't feel that I am called to be the official visitor. There I am. I am the visitor, the universal visitor. That doesn't mean as much to people as if somebody came who knew them.
You see, visitation is everybody's responsibility, not just mine, and so it is with discipleship. It isn't just mine. It's yours to do. It isn't just yours; it's mine to do, and I can't be content with just standing up there like a foghorn and blowing out all those messages every week. I've got to be involved in doing what I'm asking you to do. Well, that's disciple individuals, and I do that, and I love it.
You say, "John, when you disciple somebody, how do you do it?" Three things I use, basically, and these are simple things. Number one is teaching biblical truth. When you disciple somebody, one thing you got to do is give them some information. The word "disciple" in the Greek is mathts. It translates, "learner." Now, if somebody is a learner and assumes that somebody's going to teach them something, so you are to disciple. That means you are to teach learners. The first thing yet is to teach biblical truth, and how do I do it? Well, I'm in the process of discipling people, and what do I do? I give them books to read, for one thing. I know areas that I want them to understand; give them books, give them books, more books, more books, tapes. Give them tapes, teach from the pulpit here, sit down with them and teach biblical truths, teach them out of the Word of God. I'm discipling a particular person now, and I imagine he's read 50 books in the last six months, at least, and he's got a lot of principles there in his mind.
So, teaching biblical content. That's one area, but the second area is this. It is applying Scripture to life. The second thing you have to do is make the Bible come out of its pages and into his life. In other words, you've got to make it tactical. You've got to make some application, because you'd be amazed how many people can learn principles that they never translate into their new action, so when I teach, I'll say, "Now, how do we apply this in our lives. What does this mean to you? How do you relate to you losing your job or how do you relate to this tremendous joy that's come?" What it really boils down to is giving somebody a God perspective. In other words, they see everything through the mind of the Scripture, everything through the mind of God. They interpret everything spiritually. They interpret everything from a divine viewpoint. And this one guy I've been discipling didn't have a problem, panicking over the situation of the world. That problem is dissipating. You know why? He now sees the world from God's eyes, not from the standpoint of a desperate human. And so, all of a sudden, he's saying, "Isn't it terrific what's happening in the world? Look what God's doing?" See? So, what you're doing is not only teaching biblical truth, but translating it into life attitudes. That's necessary in discipleship.
The third thing, and maybe the key, is biblical problem-solving. Do you know when people learn best? When they have to know, right? And when you're going to fly on an airplane, and at the very first, you get on the airplane and they say, "Fasten your safety belt and bring your seats to the full upright position," and all that stuff. "We're now preparing for takeoff," and then the girl gets up there, and the voice says, "Would you please take the cards from out of the seat rack in front of you and check over the emergency instructions? In the event of an emergency, should such occur, and it's highly unlikely, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah." Little oxygen mask will drop out of the thing. You know, I've heard it so many times. And the girl goes, puts it over her face. "Please put out your cigarette. Otherwise, poof, you know?" And you go through this little routine, and you know what? I looked around, and I said, "Nobody pays any attention to her," so you can always tell who's on their first flight, looking at that little thing, see? But the people who've been around, they don't even pay any attention. You know, I don't need that. Now, listen, if you look out the right side of the plane, and you saw flames coming out of the wing, and she said, "Please take your emergency card," would you grab that card? If there was not enough cards, somebody would get trampled.
Why? Because you learn fast when you have to know, right? When you have to know, and discipleship comes right down to the crux of giving somebody biblical answers to problems that they're involved in, teaching people how to make application in crisis. I can't tell you how many times some of the staff, Jerry. It's usually Jerry, I think, comes in and says, "John, we got a problem. What does the Bible say about this? And we go, "Huh?" And you know what happens when you get that answer? That's really learning. Then, you got to go apply that solution, biblical problem-solving, so I try to teach biblical truth, try to give people a biblical perspective on life and try to use the Scripture to solve their problems.
That means that you just can't sit down there and give them a lecture. You've got to know enough of the Scripture to be able to give them answers when they need them. Now, that's really discipling somebody. And that's what we're all about. That's what I'm endeavoring to do and teaching my staff to do, and that's what they are teaching others to do, and that's what we want you to do. You say, "Well, I don't know much." There is somebody in the world who doesn't know as much as you. There's got to be. So, wherever he is, find him and sit him down and go to it. What a joy to see your disciples mature and grow. It's thrilling. Christian without somebody to disciple is a contradiction. You're all about giving life. Give it to somebody.
Fourth: a church that is effective and successful will have a strong emphasis on community penetration, a strong emphasis on community penetration. Now, we know that we are to reach people for Christ. We are obviously aware of that. The early church did it. Man, I'm telling you, that early church in Acts, they literally blitzed their community. First of all, 3,000 saved on Pentecost, and then they began to really move, and they went through Jerusalem like a wildfire. Their church grew to 20,000 in no time at all. The people said, "You have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine." Isn't that exciting? Your message is all over this city. Well, shouldn't it be? Is that the idea, community penetration? But so many of us, as Christians, we arrive in our car, the closest thing we get to community penetration, we come to church, we go out and get back in the car, we have a fish sign on the back window. That's community penetration. That's about all. Or we come here, and we say, "I've done my duty to God." We try to live our testimony rather than speak it. My friend, nobody ever got to Heaven because somebody lived their testimony in front of Him. Sooner or later, you got to give them the words, right? Community penetration; reach people.
You know, in the Book of Acts, all the growth of the early church was a matter of penetrating communities. They didn't isolate. They didn't sit in the corner and talk about doctrine. They got out and blitzed the community. In Acts 13:44, the next Sabbath day in Antioch, almost the whole city came together to hear the Word of God. I mean, those people were so busy that when it came time for the preaching, the whole city was there. Wouldn't that be exciting? Terrific. That's typical of the earlier church. Chapter 14, Verse 1, they came to Iconium. They went to the synagogue of the Jews and spoke so that a great multitude of Jews and Greeks believed. They penetrated. They went right in, confrontation. Chapter 16, same thing. Verse 5, "And the churches were established in the faith and increased in numbers daily." They penetrated the community. Chapter 17, same thing again. Paul opened the Scriptures and reasoned with them and said, "Christ must suffer," and some believed, and there was a multitude of devout Greeks that were saved. They communicated to their community, and the community responded, community penetration.
This is characteristic of every successful church in the history of churches. Now, you can do it in a lot of ways. You can have all kinds of programs to do it, and I'm not convinced that programs are really necessary except where you have a bunch of uncommitted people who won't do it otherwise. I think evangelism is best done when you just do it in the area where you live.
I'll never forget, and some people go bananas on programs of the evangelism. I went to a banquet to speak to the workers of the church, and they were presenting their big program for the year, and it was a football kind of thing, and they had put goalposts up in the auditorium, right in the auditorium, and a scoreboard, and when anybody got saved, they kicked the ball over the goalpost, so on Sunday, if there were 25 people, and boom, boom, boom, boom. They had a whole big deal, and every week, and there were five or ten pages of materials. These poor leaders were sitting there, just dying while this guy was going through page after page and made phone calls. They hid five footballs in homes of five unsaved families in order to motivate people to go evangelize and to try to find the home with the football because whoever found the football got a prize.
And so, they had to do that, and they had a hot dog stand set up outside for hot dogs for the people who brought people. They had sweaters for the kids who brought so many people. They had all kinds of gimmicks. It was incredible. Couldn't believe it. The people had to make phone calls beyond any kind of normal requirement. Well, anyway, I just sat there dying the whole hour. Then I was to speak, so I spoke, and the pastor had to leave while I spoke. He had to go somewhere, so he left and I spoke, and then I left.
Well, it was on my mind. I thought, that is the worst possible way to evangelize: give people crass motives. Win somebody to the Lord so you can win a sweater. That is ludicrous. Go find a football in the home of an unsaved. How would those unsaved people feel? Some kind of a prize is what they were. So, anyway, I was asked to speak to a group of about 150 pastors, and they were asking me to speak on what I felt were biblical directives for the church, and I said, "You know, I have a good illustration of what not to do in evangelism." And so, I presented this. They went out naming the church, or being specific about it, I just presented it. I just went through it, and I noticed there wasn't much of a reaction to it. And a couple days later, I got a letter, and the letter said, "Dear Reverend MacArthur, I suppose if you had known that I had been in that class, you wouldn't have said what you said about our program." Signed, the pastor of the church where I spoke at the banquet. That was his program, and he was in there. I didn't know that. Secondly, "I know you wouldn't have, had you known that the hour before, I had presented the program to the same group of pastors."
Boy, my heart started beating. I said, "Well," I said, "Lord, you really had a purpose pulling all of that together." And there's only one thing to do in a thing like that when a brother has been offended, that's to go to him personally. I couldn't get to him because he's not in this area, so I called him on the phone personally, and I said, "Hello, this is me." He was shocked that I would call him, and I said, "I want to confirm to you my love, and I want to tell you that I am very sorry if I personally offended you and if I was unkind or if I, in any sense, was unfair at the presentation. I am so sorry. However, I want also to confirm to you that I stand behind what I said 100 percent, and I don't change my opinion at all." Well, he accepted my apology, reluctantly. I don't know that it ever could be undone.
But the church doesn't need those kind of things. You see, if you try to motivate people to do things for selfish motives, whatever they're doing isn't even honored of God. That's just Phariseeism. I'm not against having a visitation night and going out and winning people to Christ. I'm not against door-to-door evangelism. That's great, and we have groups who do that in our church, and there are other ways. There's neighborhood evangelism, Bible study evangelism. There are all kinds of evangelist outreach programs. There's campus evangelism, and we do that. We have extension campus ministry. There are all kinds of ways. It isn't necessarily that the method is the same, but I agree, and as Dr. Hendricks said, "Every church that is successful has community penetration, one way or another." And I'll tell you, people, the best way to have it is just to have a whole bunch of Christians, who reproduce. Then, you don't need a program. Which would you rather have, a week of revival meetings once a year or 365 days a year, your congregation evangelizing? It's obvious, isn't it?
One of the reasons we've never had a revival meeting, quote-unquote, "one of the traditional, old hell, fire and damnation preaching things," is because I don't like to reduce the church to a once-a-year evangelism emphasis. That ought to be going on all the time. It's important that we evangelize, but that it be a personal thing out of our hearts.
You know, just out of curiosity, a lot of people have come to Grace Church in the last few years, and I would be interested to know of all of this congregation this morning, how many of you have come to Grace from another church? Put your hand up. From another church. That's amazing. How many of you have come not from another church? This is the first church. See that? Vast majority of people here this morning have come from another church. Now, we're glad to have you, and I believe in my heart that God has a purpose in you being here. I am astounded to see the quality of leadership that God has collected in this place. I don't know how the other churches are doing without you, frankly, because we have so much leadership and so much potential, that all I can figure in my mind is God has something fantastic in mind for this place, and I praise God for every one of you.
Think about it. We have 3,000 people here on Sunday mornings. The kind of people that we have, the kind that you are; do you think it would be unreasonable to assume that one year from today, we could have 9,000 people here? That would mean that each of us, in the next year, was involved in winning three people to Christ. Would you say that's in the realm of possibility? Well, wouldn't it be equally a tragedy if next year at this time, we had only 3,500, 400 of whom came from other churches? Listen. You say you're trying to build a big church? Well, no sir, but I'll tell you one thing; 3,000 Christians, just doing what they ought to do in evangelism ought to make this place a monstrosity in a year. That's right, isn't it? That's the way it ought to be. And I believe in my heart, people, that God has gathered the best of His people in so many cases, here, for some reason. I don't know why other than to say He wants to do something here, something in His sovereignty that is unique and wonderful.
But don't you ever become content with being at Grace Church. That's not where it ends. You're not here just to sit here. You're here to receive what you receive in order to go and reproduce and make not only converts, but mature ones. The world could never be the same if just this one congregation reproduced itself every few months. We'd affect the world, eventually, just the mathematics of it. Just figure a year from now, we've got 9,000 people reproducing. Staggering may it be.
Fifth, and the last one I'll talk about this morning. We'll get the rest next time. The fifth ingredient in a successful church is an aggressive, active ministering people, and we've hit on this. Let me just specify it: an aggressive, active ministering people. A church where the staff does everything is wrong. We are to equip the saints to do the work of the ministry, Ephesians 4:12 says, "We are to perfect the saints for the work of the ministry." The ministry is your ministry. You say, "Well, what do you mean by that?" Well, in Romans 12, I'm going to point out a couple of verses to you. In Romans 12 verse 3, it tells us that we have received grace and faith in certain measure. Then, in Verse 6, it says, "We have received differing gifts." Some of us, the gift of prophecy, some of ministry, some of teaching, some of exhorting or counseling, some of the gift of giving, the gift of ruling, the gift of showing mercy. Now, it says, "In every case, if you have the gift, then do it. He that has the gift of prophecy. Let him prophesize. If he has the gift of ministry, let him minister; if he has the gift of teaching, teach; the gift of exhortation, exhort; the gift of giving, give; the gift of ruling, do it with diligence; the gift of showing mercy, do it with cheerfulness."
People, until the church really realizes that it is a body, where every member must function with His gifts, it never will be what God wants it to be. I have an illustration. When I broke my leg and I had my surgery, I couldn't walk on my right leg, so I started walking on my left leg, and walking on my left leg, then my hip got sore because my left leg was bearing the weight that my right leg normally would bear. So Sam Britain says to me, "You're limping. You got to get a cane." So, I got a cane. The cane meant that I didn't hurt my right leg, I didn't hurt my left leg, but I hurt my hand. Then, I tried to avoid hurting my hand, and I started to hurt my shoulder, and began to realize that you can't compensate for an inactive function in your body without messing up everything else. You know, the great story about Dizzy Dean when he was a pitcher, and his pitching career was ended because he got hit by a line drive in the big toe, and it ruined his arm. You say, "Wait a minute." In the big toe and it ruined his arm. That's right. You know why? Because when he came off the rubber to pitch, he had to compensate by turning his foot the wrong way, couldn't get as much of his body into the pitch and over-extended his arm, ruined his arm, and that was the end of his career.
And it's true in the spiritual sense in the church. Where there are non-functioning members, somewhere, the body is hurting, and to try and always compensate doesn't make it. There must be the totality of ministry with the saints doing the things that God has gifted them to do. A guy said to me last night, he said, "John, I just want to know what my gifts are so I can get busy and serve the Lord in a place He wants me." That's a good question, isn't it? "How can I know my gifts," he said. We don't want to recruit people to run programs. We want to mature saints who will do their ministries. I could sit by my desk, and I could say, "All right, I got a great program here to accomplish a certain goal. Boy, I got to have 49 of these," and I get a whole lot of ideas of committees and committees, and we can have this program, and now, let's see. I've got to have people. Let's see. I need a chairman, a co-chairman, vice chairman. Then, I come to you and I'd say, "Hey, you know, God's laid something on my heart," and automatically, you feel, oh, no. Not from him. It's from God. Now, I am in trouble.
You know how strongly I feel about this? Would you help me with this? You know what you're going to say most times? Yes. You know why? Because you want to be spiritual, and you probably want to show you care about me, and you don't want to be indifferent to what God wants, and you know what you're saying in your mind? "Nuts, nuts. Why did he run into me in the patio?" You know? "How did I, I got so much," and then, you go home and you say, "Oh, Martha, I got to go to that committee tomorrow night. I'm going to go, John." See what happens? You're reluctant, and so you know what happens? A few weeks of the deal and you're unmotivated again, and I got to go up and get you rolling again or find somebody else to take your place. I talked to pastor after pastor after pastor after pastor, who are discouraged because their programs keep falling apart. You know what I decided a long time ago? No programs. Just perfect the saints, and they'll develop them, and then they have internal motivation to carry them out. That's right. People say to me, "You know, we need this in our church." I say, "Good. You feel that way? Do it."
You know, that went on for a few years some years back, and, finally, nobody said that to me unless they were very serious. It's the ministry of the saints that we're after. We don't want to yank you into something out of a legal obligation to do something you're not really motivated of gifted to do. We want you to develop along the lines the Spirit has gifted you. Just do your own ministries. An aggressive, active minister in people makes for a successful church. Well, we'll cover the rest next time. Let's pray.
Father, thank You for time this morning and considering these most important directives for a successful church. Thank You for the joy of serving in this place, where Your blessing has been so abundant and so free. We thank you for these precious people you've brought together. Lord, we know you've brought these people here for a reason. This huge group, this multitude of people could absolutely revolutionize this part of the world. Oh, God, we pray that all of the potential that is here might be released to reach and to teach, fulfill that which You desire. For Christ's sake, we pray. Amen.
This article is also available and sold as a booklet.
This sermon series includes the following messages:
Please contact the publisher to obtain copies of this resource.Publisher Information


text:
Calif. Protests Planned After Zimmerman Acquittal [VIDEO]
Protesters were expected to take to the streets against Sunday after largely peaceful demonstrations in three California cities following the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.
Rallies were planned in Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego and San Francisco, a day after Zimmerman was cleared of all charges in the February 2012 death of Martin.
The gatherings Saturday night ranged from a few dozen to a couple hundred people. In Oakland, protesters broke windows at the Oakland Tribune and started small fires in the streets. Local media reports said some Oakland marchers vandalized a police squad car and police formed a line to block the protesters' path.
Footage from a television helicopter showed people spray painting anti-police graffiti. Protesters also burned an American and a California state flag and spray painted Alameda County's Davidson courthouse, according to the Oakland Tribune.
The Oakland demonstration followed a raucous but largely peaceful rally in San Francisco. Police say officers escorted demonstrators as they marched on the city's Mission District. The group was dispersed by 10 p.m.
The verdict also sparked protests in Los Angeles, where demonstrators gathered in Leimert Park, the city's historically black neighborhood. Police were put on tactical alert, but there were no reports of arrests.
More than 40 people gathered at Sacramento City Hall, and the Sacramento Bee reported that protesters chanted: "What do we want? Justice. When do you we want it? Now. For who? Trayvon."
A banner behind speakers read, "No justice, no peace!"
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved)


text:
Moda Layer Cake Urban Couture
3/4 yd. Insul-brite
3/4 yd. coordinate fabric for binding
Olfa Chenille cutter
Select 5 – 10 inch squares for your hot pad. One square will be the backing…4 will become the chenille.
I did not pin to prevent shifting, however, if you are new to quilting or do not have a walking foot…pin basting may be a good idea
I began at one point of the square and turned the fabric sandwich on point. I quilted through all layers.
I continued to do this every 3/8 of an inch. I've turned the piece over so that you can see the quilting easier.
Using my Olfa chenille cutter…I cut the top 3 layers ONLY….You MUST be careful not to trim through the bottom layer that would be right above the insulbrite. A chenille cutter makes this process just zip along quickly.
You can see the lighter under layer now.
I cut my binding strips 2 1/4 inches. This takes about 40-42 inches of binding with the corners. 3/4 yard of coordinating fabric will bind all 5 hot pads.
5 Hot pads from the recipe above. It takes less than an hour to complete one hotpad. I certainly hope you can use this recipe…Thanks Mid-Ohio Knitter Vickie E


text:
The USA Rice Federation reports that Iraq recently purchased 100,000 metric tons of U.S. long-grain rice in its latest tender.
Historically, Iraq has been a sporadic but rather large market for U.S. rice. From a high of 385,000 metric tons in 2005-06 to 121,000 metric tons last marketing year, this 100,000 metric tons sale, said USA Rice, "demonstrates that this is a market that must be taken seriously."
USA Rice is building relationships with the Iraqi Grain Board and the Ministry of Trade.
Almost all the imported rice is distributed through a ration system administered by the Iraqi government and all purchase decisions are made by the government.
Due to the security situation, USA Rice does not have an active promotions program in Iraq.
The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad plans to take a contingent of Iraqis to the Gulfood Show in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Feb. 21-24. USA Rice is exhibiting at the event and "will interact with the members of the U.S. Embassy-sponsored team to promote more purchases of U.S.-grown rice."


text:
The fact sheet has quite a lot to absorb, so here's the highlights in terms of new actors and crew that we've not heard of before today.
Lets start with new crew. First up, two new directors of photography have been named. Marco Pontecorvo and Alik Sakharov are both veterans of past HBO productions, particularly Rome. Pontecorvo recently made a mark as a director for the film Pa-ra-da, which garnered him several awards as well, while the Russian-born Sakharov received an Emmy for his cinemtaography on during the Rome episode titled "Passover".
Joining them on the production side are a few new directors. For us, the most notable is Alan Taylor, an HBO go-to guy with many HBO productions under his belt, as well episodes of shows as diverse as Lost, Mad Men, and Nurse Jackie; he won an Emmy for his direction of a Sopranos episode, and has several other noms from the Director's Guild Awards. The other new director named is Daniel Minahan, another go-to guy who's directed episodes of Deadwood, Big Love, and a notable five episodes on True Blood.
Production designer Gemma Jackson and costume designer Michele Clapton remain on board with the production, which is very good to see. Though we've known this for a good while, I'll note that the fact sheet confirms that the writing breakdown remains the same: executive producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss will write seven of the episodes, while Bryan Cogman, Jane Espenson (of Buffy and BSG fame), and George R.R. Martin will write one episode each.
Of note for the production? Morocco is out—something George hinted may be a possibility a long while ago—and instead it looks like the second location for shooting will be Malta. Malta, rich in scenery—especially medieval castles, walls, ports, and so on—and a spare beauty will doubtless serve for shots of Pentos and the like, and will be an excellent locale if the series goes forward to a second or third season
And following the production teams and notes? The actors. Oh, boy, the actors. There's so many of them!
The most significant additions to the list must be James Cosmo as the Old Bear, Jeor Mormont, a casting George revealed which is not yet on the fact sheet (see here for two other roles GRRM has confirmed). After that, it sure looks like Jerome Flynn as Bronn (Official Site) is the most noteworthy casting choice.
After that are the guest cast, which makes up the bulk of new additions to the casting rolls. I'm just going to paste them all below:
Josef Altin as Pyp (Photo)
Gethin Anthony as Renly Baratheon (More Info (PDF with headshot))
Ciaran Bermingham as Mord (Photo)
Susan Brown as Septa Mordane (Photo)
Dominic Carter as Janos Slynt (Photo, on the right side)
Antonia Christophers as Mhaegen (Photo; this is not a new role. According to George, this is the mother of Barra, one of the king's illegitimate children, who appears in A Game of Thrones. She was unnamed in the novel, and has received a name here.)
Kate Dickie as Lysa Arryn (Photo)
Emun Elliott as Marillion (Photo)
Lino Facioli as Robin Arryn (More info and photo; as GRRM remarks, little Robert Arryn has been renamed to Robin for the series, presumably to prevent confusion with King Robert.)
Jefferson Hall as Ser Hugh of the Vale (Photo)
Rhodri Hosking as Mycah (Photo on front page)
Margaret John as Old Nan (Photo)
Dermot Keaney as Gared (Photo)
Francis Magee as Yoren (Photo)
Brendan McCormack as Ser Vardis Egan
Eugene Simon as Lancel Lannister (Photo; we reported on this probable casting earlier)
Peter Vaughan as Maester Aemon (Photo)
Thanks to the Rabbit for digging up so many cast photos!


text:
Only three weeks after Ven. Geshe-la expressed his vision of Switzerland hosting an International Retreat Centre of Kadampa Buddhism the premises of the newly named Kailash International Retreat Centre have been found and already bought.
All the right causes and conditions seem to have come together to create a beautiful and tranquil place in the heart of the highest Alps conducive for the ripening of all Dharma realizations.
The Retreat Centre offers a spectacular view into the Saas and Matter Valleys with mountains over 4000 meters.. Situated at an altitude of 1500 m the centre will stay cool even in the summer time although amply supplied with sun from morning to evening.
The centre will offer 24 rooms of single or double occupancy, many of them with private balconies, where private retreats of shorter and longer duration can be done or where one can participate in guided retreats.
We are looking forward to your visit in a couple of months when our new retreat centre opens its doors for Kadampa retreaters from all over the world, creating the cause of an abundant harvest of virtue for peace and happiness for all.


text:
Need to Drop Weight Fast? ?Free Trial bottle only $5.99 for all!
If you are struggling and looking for effective ways to drop weight fast, you have probably tried many things in the past but the power of acai berry and a good colon cleanse may be the answer that you need.
The benefits of Acai Berry fruit, drinks, and acai capsules literally burst onto the scene a short time ago after it was praised on national television for its amazing power as a superfood and potential supplement to help loseWeight.
Acai berry benefits have been highlighted on shows like Oprah and the Today Show, and by well known doctors like, best selling author Dr. Nicholas Perricone, and another Oprah favorite... Dr. Oz.
Ingredients in Acai Berry
* Helps You to LoseWeight Faster
* Helps Increase Your Metabolism
* Helps with Fat Oxidation
* Helps Increase Energy and Recovery Times
* Provides Powerful Antioxidant Support to Fight Aging
Acai has been featured in many different forms of media for its outstanding health benefits including the popular Breakthroughs in Health magazine.
Acai Berry FREE Trials http://...cn
Acai Berry has been so successful in helping to loseWeight fast that you can basically test out the product for FREE.
Click Here http://...to get started with your 100% FREE trial!
jump to
tagsviagra music funny pathetic enlargement interesting cats weight bottle funny nuddist credible reddit cat
- LoseWieght #1 SuperFood featured on Oprah Winfrey & Rachel Ray shows, Free Trial Acai Berry only $5.99 hhhd i6 4/4
- A man with a small dick is like a candle that is almost burned. Be a new candle with Advanced Gain Pro Penis Enlargement Pills. 2/2
- Good boner for you! 1/1
- Ask me about microwaving cats for fun and profit! 1/1
- Hi, lustful sweetheart. Do you have any time to to dirty with me? 1/1
- Your little soldier will grow up to a big love general!
- Forget about the problem with your device.
- Do not be loser change your device size
- Know her from the sexual side how is she inside exactly
- National Health Service
- Business proposal,, contact; firstname.lastname@example.com
- Fresh fervent photoset where my cat is the only helper covering my nudity


text:
Criminal Justice: Corrections
C. Aaron McNeece
The United States has more than 7 million adults under correctional supervision, with more than 2 million incarcerated. The history and theories behind incarceration are described, along with the current jail and prison inmate populations. Specific problems of juveniles and women are mentioned. Current trends and issues in corrections are discussed, including community-based corrections, privatization, faith-based programs, and health care. The roles of social workers in the correctional system are outlined. Comments are made on the future of incarceration.
Drug Courts
Julie Schroeder and Bridgette Harris
Drug courts were developed to facilitate treatment for criminal offenders with substance abuse problems. Drug courts operate using dual paradigms of healing and discipline via treatment, social service resources, and case management for healing, and judicial sanctions and criminal justice interventions in efforts to initiate change resulting in sobriety and no further criminal behavior. The key goals of most drug courts are to reduce drug use and associated criminal behavior by engaging and retaining drug-involved offenders in programs and treatment services; to concentrate expertise about drug cases into a single courtroom; to address other defendant needs through clinical assessment and effective case management; and to free judicial, prosecutorial and public defense resources for adjudicating non-drug cases.
It is vital that social work students be introduced to drug courts and how they function for students to gain better understanding of how addiction can bring their clients into contact with the criminal justice system. Drug courts are ideal settings for internship placements so that students can get hands-on experience in a court setting and assist clients using a therapeutic jurisprudence model.
Elder Abuse
Eloise Rathbone-McCuan
Elder abuse is now recognized internationally as a social problem among the aging population. Intentional abuse, neglect, and exploitation among caregivers to frail and isolated elderly create serious risks across diverse formal and informal care settings. This field has expanded continuously since the early 1970s. Accurate prevalence and incidence rates have not been determined. There is a national system of elder victim protection operating within each state. The social work profession is legally mandated to report situations where an elderly person is suspected to be at risk of abuse. Social workers are involved in all aspects of elder abuse prevention and intervention services.
Juvenile Delinquency
Carolyn Smith
The following article on juvenile delinquency has three major objectives: First, it defines delinquency and discusses its measurement and extent; second, it reviews theory and risk factor data on causes of delinquency; third, it discusses current trends in juvenile justice intervention and delinquency prevention, including social worker involvement.
Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence
Larry W. Bennett and Oliver J. Williams
Perpetrators of intimate partner violence (IPV) use coercive actions toward intimate or formerly intimate partners, including emotional abuse, stalking, threats, physical violence, or rape. The lifetime prevalence of IPV is 35% for women and 28% for men, with at an estimated economic cost of over ten billion dollars. IPV occurs in all demographic sectors of society, but higher frequencies of IPV perpetration are found among people who are younger and who have lower income and less education. Similar proportions of men and women use IPV, but when the effects of partner abuse are considered, women bear the greatest physical and behavioral health burden. Single-explanation causes for IPV such as substance abuse, patriarchy, and personality disorders are sometimes preferred by practitioners, advocates, and policymakers, but an understanding of IPV perpetration is enhanced when we look through the multiple lenses of culture and society, relationship, and psychological characteristics of the perpetrators.
Prison Social Work
Jason Matejkowski, Toni Johnson, and Margaret E. Severson
This entry provides a description of prison social work and the array of responsibilities that social workers in prison settings have, including intake screening and assessment, supervision, crisis intervention, ongoing treatment, case management, and parole and release planning. The authors provide the legal context for providing social-work services to prisoners and delve into issues involving three specific populations of growing concern to corrections officials and to prison social work: women inmates, inmates who are parents, and inmates with mental illness. The tension between the goals of social work and corrections is explored and opportunities for social workers to apply their professional values within the prison setting are highlighted.
Urban Practice
Melvin Delgado
Social work practice is best understood and practiced when taking into account the local context. The urban context of social work practice may share much with suburban and rural contexts but also brings with it unique problems and opportunities.


text:
You and your partner will need to consider how to treat your benefits as part of any divorce/dissolution settlement.
Please contact us for more information.
As a member of the Scheme you have valuable life cover which may be payable on your death. If you have previously nominated your husband, wife or civil partner to receive this, you may want to fill in a new nomination form (see Related Documents in the "Helpful Information" section) to let us know of any changes.


text:
Trunkly necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 126 diseños de 25 diseñadores freelance.
Trunk.ly is a new social bookmarking service that connects to the sites that you share links online (like Twitter, Facebook, Delicious, Blogs etc.) and aggregates them all back together, then indexes the links and the pages they point to giving you a personal search engine of all the links that interest you. Never forget a link.
Be sure to register for Trunk.ly - you'll see the landing page and the actual site are a little different, the logo will be used on both.
Trunk.ly has different connotations to different people, the original thought behind the name was "Elephants" as in "Never forget a link", however in practice the stronger association is now with a Trunk as in storage trunk.
Users commonly use this term "putting that link in my Trunk" for example on blogs or in conversation.
The goal is to come up with something that fits the current site design and that we can use across our branding (business cards, T-shirts and the website).
Longer term we'd love to see a character logo (like GitHub, Reddit etc.) and see how they can be used, however it's perhaps a little premature as the positioning of the site may change - if you're game we'd love to see some ideas but unless it was exceptional we're just as liable to pick a text based one because that's a safer decision until we are ready to invest more in the full branding.
We are targeting a broad internet user base, although most users at the moment would tend to be more technically savvy and male, it's not the end goal.
Other things that are important to us and differentiators are the idea of Search which is a really key component of our offering and where we are investing to improve it and Social.
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


text:
Developmental milestones include:
- Balancing to walk along a plank
- Pedalling a tricycle
- Rolling and bouncing a ball - and a few can catch a ball, too
- Holding a pencil with the correct grip
- Buttoning up clothing
- Cutting with scissors
- Climbing a ladder and trees
- Standing, walking and running on tiptoes
- Balancing on one foot for several seconds
- Using a spoon and fork correctly
- Building a bridge using three blocks
How can I encourage his physical development?
- Ensure that he has plenty of physical freedom where he can develop some independence.
- Teach him some skills that will open new doors for him - how to swim, how to pedal a bike, how to hit a ball with a bat.
- Give him the space to work things out for himself. He'll build his self-esteem if he can work something out on his own.
- Allow him the time he needs to 'get things right' himself. Some pre-schoolers really resist help, so don't jump in unless you're asked.
Signs there could be a developmental problem include:
- He isn't interested in interacting with other children or with adults while he plays.
- He's either overly aggressive or introverted when he plays with other children.
- He plays in a repetitious way that shows little use of his imagination.
- He has difficulty keeping up physically with children his own age.
- He isn't able to jump with his two feet together.
All children are different and develop at different rates, so don't be overly concerned if your pre-schooler is acquiring new skills at a different rate to those around him. But if you are worried about his development, or it seems to have stalled or be going backwards, talk to a health professional.
This article was written by Ella Walsh for Kidspot. Sources include SA Government's Parenting and Child Health and ABC Parenting.


text:
Social Sciences in Action!
Public Lecture Series
The School of Social Sciences hosts several lecture series open to the campus community and the public at large. Check in at the start of each semester to find out what new & exciting topics will be addressed.
University & Community Events
What's new in the School of Social Sciences? Lots! Check out past and future events hosted by the School of Social Sciences.


text:
Sheltered by the Alps to the north and west, and by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, Italy's Piedmont region has a continental climate, with cold winters and very warm, dry summers, with frequent heavy fog in the autumn. A majority of the most renowned Piedmont wines come from the Alba area, in south-central Piedmont, and from the areas of Asti and Alessandria a bit farther north and east.
Piedmont is the ancestral home to the Nebbiolo grape, which is responsible for two of Italy's greatest red wines, Barolo and Barbaresco. The best Barolos and Barbarescos are made in limited quantities on a series of mostly south-facing ridges perched above the frequent October fog (nebbia) in the Langhe hills around Alba, Italy's white truffle capital. The far less expensive and more user-friendly reds Dolcetto and Barbera have attracted widespread interest in export markets over the past decade, due partly to the soaring prices of Barolo and Barbaresco. But the growing popularity of Piedmontese cuisine has also helped stimulate interest in these Piedmont wines. The natural acidity and taut structure of Piedmont wines provides a refreshing foil to the hearty meat dishes of the region, and their complex floral/earthy character works wonderfully with that other notable local product, the truffle. For most of the past century, Barolo was an austere, powerful, and often rustic Piedmontese wine whose fierce tannins and pronounced acidity made it virtually unapproachable in the first decade of its life in bottle. But wines, like fashions, change with the times: today's Barolos and Barbarescos are coveted by mainstream wine lovers around the world. Two developments have accounted for this surge in popularity: a revolution in winemaking techniques that has produced Piedmont wines that are more accessible in their youth, and an exciting proliferation of vineyard-designated bottlings, which enables connoisseurs to compare Piedmont wines from different villages and sites the way Burgundy lovers can compare the wines of Chambolle-Musigny with those of Vosne-Romanee.
Barbaresco, located just north of Alba (Barolo is just to the southwest), is quite similar to Barolo in aromas and flavors, which can include cherry, plum, raspberry, licorice, truffle, mushroom, dried rose, road tar, leather, marzipan, underbrush, and menthol. Barbaresco is normally a somewhat more elegant wine with a bit less body and tannic grip, but the similarities between the wines far outweigh the differences. In fact, a Barbaresco may be as powerful as, and require more aging than, many new-wave examples of Barolo--and can be capable of 20 years or more of positive evolution in bottle. Gavi, the most popular Piedmont white wine and the most widely distributed in the U.S., is made mostly or completely from the Cortese variety planted in the extreme south of Piedmont, in the province of Alessandria. Wines labeled Gavi di Gavi come from vineyards around the favored town of Gavi. The vast majority of these wines are simply very dry whites of modest concentration and complexity, crisp at their best but often lacking verve and grip, and best consumed young. Gavi tends to have a pale straw color; subtle if not somewhat neutral aromas of citrus fruits, apple, flowers, minerals, and honey; and high acidity. The best examples are fruity, balanced, and persistent--and excellent accompaniments to fish dishes.
Join for exclusive access to the lowest prices on the best wines in the world.
Your zip code is used to find the lowest prices near you.
Our best finds, and the stories behind them. Delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign up for a free, exclusive membership.
You entered:
Did you mean:
We noticed that the credit card number you entered matches one of your saved credit cards. We've updated your saved card with the new information.


text:
Here, as the Supreme Spoiler Queen, and newly declared Lord Of Spoilers, I shall keep Tsubasa/XXX Holic Spoilers and New information. My dear friend Lunesoldier20 has volunteered to take care of Naruto spoilers. Tsubasachro is updating as Fairy Tail chapters come out :D Spoilers, Spoilers, SPOILERS!!!! If you wish to contribute to the spoiler madness, simply comment or PM me to get guest poster status. You can update whatever section you choose ^_^
Dont be afraid to share your thoughts on chapters or predict future ones! We loooove that stuff!
ONEMANGA HAS CLOSED DOWN ALL OF IT'S SCANLATIONS. A COUPLE POSSIBLE SITES TO GO TO WOULD BE OURMANGA.COM OR MANGAFOX.COM. Be careful, however, I have encountered viruses on these website. Do not use unfamiliar websites without proper virus protection.
Remember to buy manga too as new volumes are released :D
Look forward to these exciting updates!
(Edit) February 11th 2011
We have come a long way, on a great adventure. Thank you for being there with me through xxholic and tsubasa reservoir chronicle!
45,682 page views~!
xxxHolic- End ^^ Find it at Ourmanga.com if you haven't read the final chapter! Don't forget to support Clamp by buying the books as they are released in your country.
Tsubasa- End ^^ Find it at Ourmanga.com if you haven't already read the final chapter! Don't forget to support Clamp by buying the books as the new ones are released in your country.


text:
PrimaValue PLA - 1kg - Blue
The new and improved filament range of Prima™ filaments is now available under the name PrimaValue™
Improved extrusion, adhesion, and consistency ensure even better printing results.
Another benefit: the price is very appealing!
Why is this premium filament so cheap?
PrimaValue™ is a filament for active makers, 3D printer enthusiasts who print a lot and often.
It is a small filament range with only the most common colours, which makes it much cheaper than the other premium filaments that are currently available.
Can be recommended for heavy duty printing in standard colours such as black, white, red, green, blue, and (dark) grey.
PrimaValue™ is a high-quality, robust filament, which is produced in Europe.
We know for a fact that at this time, you won't be able to find a better filament at this budget price.
How do we create our filament range?
Technical specifications are nice, but they are not everything.
We know from experience that there is only one method to be sure of the quality, which is test, test, and more tests.
Every material and even every colour (pigment also changes the printing properties of filament) are extensively tested by us, in our own printing room, on at least 10 different 3D printers
This process takes up many weeks, but it ensures that our customers get a high-quality filament at a fair price.
A direct connection to the manufacturer
3D Ninja is not just a seller, we are also the Dutch distribution partner of many of our brands, including most filaments.
A benefit that allows us to work closely with the research department and laboratories.
This is a great advantage when working towards the best quality.
Which filaments do we offer:
PrimaValue™ Our budget range for PLA and ABS filaments.
Refil Our Premium filaments range for recycled PET filaments
Polymaker Our premium filaments range for filament specials with extraordinary properties.
We also sell filaments for closed systems such as Zortrax, XYZ Printing and CEL robox.
These filaments can only be used for these brands.
All filaments are in stock
All filaments we sell are in stock, thousands of them, ready for shipment, when ordered before 10.00 PM it will be shipped on the same day.
Why choose 3DNINJA?
1.75 mm
€21,95 Continue shoppingCheckout


text:
Nature's Warfare - Stinkbomb Mushrooms
Uploaded on 3/27/2013 7:45:11 AM
Made with Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H10 Digital Camera
© Rachel Rocket
Join the photo sharing fun!
© Rachel Rocket
Join the photo sharing fun!
Copyright for this photo belongs solely to Rachel Rocket. Images may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way without the expressed, written permission of the photographer.


text:
Blac Chyna Wants To Get Back With Ex-boyfriend Tyga!?
Subscribe ►► http://bit.ly/SubToHS
Get the scoop -
Check out our site: http://www.obsev.com/entertainment
Like us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/hollyscooptv
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/hollyscoop
Find us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/hollyscoop
Hollyscoop brings you the latest entertainment news and breaks down what's happening with the celebrities everyone is obsessing over, like Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Selena Gomez, Gigi Hadid, and more. We keep you up to date with the latest buzz out of Hollywood."


text:
Antique Holidays and Courses Midlands UK
0 ads in this section
Specify area of UK - Southeast | Southwest | South | West Midlands | East Midlands | East Anglia | North | Northwest | Northeast | Scotland | Wales | Ireland | Outside UK | All antique-holidays-and-courses Adverts
Sorry, but there are currently no Antique Holidays and Courses Ads
Please check back soon.
Add an advert here
Please check back soon.
Add an advert here
Other traders in the antique-holidays-and-courses section -


text:
20 October 2011
Last weekend, I took Riley to the beach. Just Riley.
I think perhaps I had mentioned that I was planning to do this, to take just one child at a time on an overnight trip. This is the first time I've done this. I've long wanted—and still want—to regularly spend one-on-one time with each of the twins, and as they have gotten older, I've started to grab hours here and there during playdates and such. But this was the longest stretch of Mama-Riley time I've ever had, and the longest stretch of hours the two of them have ever spent apart.
It all went swimmingly. Maddie stayed with my mom and stepdad, and by all reports, she was fine and thrived on the attention she got. The same is true of Riley. Both M&R had been a little nervous about the idea, and both felt like the one who was with me was getting the better end of the deal. Riley was more nervous than his sister about it all, and she generously offered for him to be the first one to go to the beach when we initially discussed the idea. I think, in the end, she now sees that she hardly drew the short straw (although she's very excited about her overnight with me this coming Saturday).
A few things about the trip surprised me:
1. Riley was so quiet! He is normally a really loud, talkative kid, but on this trip he was fairly reserved and quiet. Maybe he actually has a deep appreciation of silence but never gets a chance to experience it since he's always competing with a sibling for a turn to talk and have my attention? Dunno. It sure caught me off guard, though.
2. I am a much more relaxed parent when I'm only caring for one child.
3. That said, the things that Riley does that annoy me are still annoying even when there's not another child around.
In other, unrelated, news, I'm still going on dates with the same guy and it's still slowly and steadily great. I still love my house. My job is still chipping away at me, but I'm not completely and totally overwhelmed as I was for a couple of months there. I'm getting an iPhone 4S! Woo! Now that's news.
What's really news, actually, is that I've become a person for whom it is in fact big news to be getting an iPhone 4S. Big news is no longer that my spouse is going on hospice or that I haven't slept in weeks because my babies wake up every 45 minutes. Big news is no longer a cross-country move or a job change months after my spouse died or a six-figure loss on selling a condo.
No, no, no. Big news is getting a smartphone, going out with someone kind and smart and thoughtful, planning our au pair's birthday party, making the decision to let Maddie and Riley watch Star Wars. There is a deep contentment in big news being the stuff of everyday life. I was out to lunch with a colleague yesterday, and in the course of our conversation, it dawned on me that I've never stayed in one place or done much of anything longer than a couple of years for my entire adult life. Sure, I lived in Boston for 10 years, but in 5 different apartments. I did have one job for seven years. Eight? Something like that. But that's the longest I've stuck with anything: a job, a home, a partner. John and I were together almost exactly four years from our first date to his death, my longest relationship by quite a bit, but in sheer time a blip on the radar. Even Maddie and Riley have only been a part of my life for five years (six if you count the pregnancy).
I've been an emotional late bloomer my whole life. I'll be 40 in January. It's just now, after a whole hell of a lot of change and lightning-quick living, that I feel thrilled by the idea of being here, where I am, for the long haul. I know that change will come, and I don't wish to stagnate. But I wish to be rooted and grounded, and I wish to know the contentment that can come from being still.
13 comments:
- Amber said...
I love that you are having the opportunity for these one-on-one overnights. Such a treat for M&R! And it might sound silly but it makes me smile to read about your contentedness. You've earned it my dear!
- 21:21
- Solitary Diner said...
How wonderful to read about you reaching a point of stillness and happiness. It's a great place to be, and, as Amber said, well-deserved. Looking forward to reading more about the good times in the future.
- 21:28
- Grace said...
I'm so happy for you!
- 21:43
Different from your situation but my husband and I have date nights with our boys about once a month or so. We switch off so the kids get a one on one night with each parent every other month. Within reason the boys get to plan the night and on the rare occasion they want to do the same thing we take different cars and sit in different areas if it's a movie or dinner! Our boys are older but you will see that as your twins get older they will tell you amazing secrets during that one on one time that are priceless.
- 21:56
- Christie said...
I love your getaway idea. I'm with Hen all the time but I get bogged down in the everyday stuff that is life when we're at home. There's always another load of laundry to be done or a bathroom to be cleaned or a dog to be walked, etc. Getting away from all of that and truly being able to be in the moment with your kid is amazing. Hope you and Maddie have a great time on your outing.
- 22:59
- Dr. Smak said...
How lovely to hear that life is allowing you to notice the little things again.
Sincerely, Dr. Smak, new 4S owner
- 02:56
- julie said...
thank you for a beautiful and thoughtful post.
- 08:15
- Mama Mama Quite Contrary said...
Such a lovely post. I am glad that your big news is also fun news.
You've inspired me to do more one on one. I wonder at 2.5 if the turtles would get it or just feel lost without the other? Hmmm....
- 10:30
- Tiffany said...
No matter how many kids you have one on one time is importatant and I know my girls don't get enough of it. But we enjoy what little time we do and it is so much easier with just one.
- 14:19
- Snickollet said...
I can tell you that at age 2.5, I think M&R would have been pretty baffled and probably disturbed by spending a full overnight apart. At that age, when they weren't together (for a brief hour here and there, dr. appointment, what have you), each spent the whole time asking about the other, expressing concern for the other, etc. The one who was with me fared better, but the one who was "left behind" really had a rough go. That said, you can achieve that one-on-one time via divide and conquer parenting, so maybe the split would be easier since each Turtle would be with a parent. Just thinking out loud here . . .
- 15:40
I rarely post and I've said it before, but I LOVE the way you express your thoughts and feelings. Reading it is such a pleasure. It makes me think. Thanks for sharing. Oh and tell Riley I think he's handsome.
- 17:34
- Catherine said...
I have twin boys (that are 6), and when they are separated they are super quiet. Together they are loud,chatty, and super rowdy. Separated they are quiet like church mice. I think that boys especially feed off other kids energys, alone they dont know what to do...hard to be silly all by yourself. I hope you enjoyed the peace and quiet, its so fleeting!
- 17:54
- jo(e) said...
Ah, one-on-one time is so important. I have a bunch of siblings close in age, and I can still remember the times when my father or mother would take me -- JUST ME BY MYSELF -- on an outing. Rare, but special times.
Lovely to hear the peace and contentment in your life.
- 17:09


text:
Summer Youth Bowling Special
Are you tired of sitting around at home? Or maybe, you're getting bored with flipping through the same reruns of your favorite TV show? Getting involved during the summertime is always an exciting opportunity. And with summer being here, now is the perfect time to enjoy the many festivities such as bowling with your friends and family.
This summer, Drakeshire Lanes is having a summer youth bowling special! Starting on June 20th, there will be unlimited bowling every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 11:30am-1:30pm. This special only costs $5.00 and the shoes are $2.50 per person.
Friday's are also Family Fun Night here at Drakeshire Lanes. It costs $10 per person and that includes shoes, two games, pop, and two slices of pizzas. Family Fun Night is between 6-9pm.
If you want to get engaged this summer, contact Drakeshire Lanes today. We have everything from bowling alleys to pool tables. We even have games and arcades. Call us today to register for our summer youth bowling special!