This month marks two years since I had a lumpectomy to remove an "area" that was found on an annual screening mammogram. I was diagnosed with DCIS in August of 2010. That was followed by surgery in October of 2010. Following that surgery, my diagnosis was changed to LCIS and I did not need any radiation or chemotherapy since it was not invasive, and many doctors do not even consider LCIS to be "cancer" - Praise the Lord!
I am happy to report today, October 2012, two years later, I have received an "all clear" mammogram and there is no sign of any cancer or abnormalities! I am so thankful for a good report! The doctor that I saw today says that I will only need to have six month follow ups for one more year, then she would recommend that I only have a mammogram once a year after that as a regular follow up.
Now that's good news! :)
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Monday, July 9, 2012
We Moved ... again.
I know it's hard to believe, and if you know me very well, then you are probably tired of hearing that we have moved...again. Yes, my extended "vacation" in Northwest Arkansas has come to an end. Graeble Van Lines packed up our Bentonville, Arkansas home on Thursday/Friday, June 21-22, and delivered all our worldly goods on Tuesday, June 26, to our new (older) home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Of course we would plan to move during the record-breaking hottest week of the year which is part of the Scott moving tradition. Our kids probably remember the year we moved from Whitehouse, TX to Dallas, TX on the fourth of July in 1996. Well, this move brought back memories of that move! It was so HOT!!! The crew was stinky, sweaty, and exhausted by the end of each day, and of course the air conditioner had trouble cooling the house with the doors wide open. We had to go for a long car ride at the end of the day just to cool off! It took a couple of days for our air conditioner to catch-up and cool down the house. If you know Fletcher very well, then you know how much he will miss the cooler, dryer weather of Bentonville, Arkansas, but I feel at home in the heat and high humidity of south Louisiana. Yes, it does feel more like home here to me in so many ways. Even though we are both originally from north Louisiana, there are many similarities to south Louisiana such as the large towering pine trees, and many other types of large shady trees, lots of flowers, and the thick moist humid air of the south. There is a huge old magnolia tree in our front yard here in Baton Rouge, and the street is lined with many large old magnolia trees and large old crepe myrtles and large old oak trees, and flags are flying for the Fourth of July. The birds are prolific here in south Louisiana, and there is a wide variety of birds living right in our backyard. It usually "comes up a thunderstorm" every afternoon down here, which I hadn't even realized how much I had been missing a good summertime afternoon thunderstorm. The rain and clouds are a cool and refreshing relief from the afternoon heat each day, and there is no need for a sprinkler system here. Yes, it just feels more like home to me. We have met a few of our neighbors all of which are retired and have lived in this neighborhood for over 30 years! They are friendly and everyone seems to have at least a dog or two, so we are fitting right in with our two dogs and no kids. Another unique thing that you don't see too often anymore is that the mail is delivered here by a mailman on foot who comes directly to your front door and places your mail in a small mailbox attached to the house. Now, that is nice. All we have to do is open our door and reach out to get the mail. Also at this house we have a circular driveway that is large enough to accommodate all of our vehicles! Although, we don't have an enclosed garage, we do have an old-fashioned covered carport attached on to the back of the house and plenty of parking in the driveway. And we are at the end of the street in a cul-de-sac. I want to say a special "Thank you" to my mother and daddy for coming right away to help me unpack. I probably wouldn't have gotten it done as fast and efficiently without their help. I really did appreciate it, and it really helped us to get through the first week in a new town to have them here. Thanks, Mother and Daddy, I love you!
Well, I've only taken a few pictures so here they are...
Well, I've only taken a few pictures so here they are...
Mother and Daddy in Baton Rouge to help with the unpacking.
Packing and loading up in Bentonville
Bailey at the end of the first day of packing in Bentonville.
Tommy at the end of the first day of packing in Bentonville.
Tommy and Bailey had to wait outside for the carpet and floors to be cleaned.
It was a very hot day in Bentonville!
This is the front of our home in Baton Rouge.
Bailey has become a good "Watch Dog" since we have moved here!
This is her watching out the front window.
Thank you so much to our friends Deb and Bob Baldwin for having us over for dinner and also Bill and Denise Hart for bringing the steaks and joining us at the Baldwin's home on our last night in Bentonville. And thanks also to the Baldwins for letting us spend the night at their house so that we could be at our house the next morning to have the carpet and floors cleaned and to turn in our keys. We cannot ever repay the kindness these friends have shown to us and we will miss their friendship. They were like family to us while we were in Bentonville, and I hope that we will stay in touch. Even though we have only known them for the short time that we lived in Bentonville, we have so many fun memories of going with them to the Friday night auctions in Springdale and so many other times when they have included us in their family activities, and had us over to their home. We will truly miss you so much!! Thank you so much for all you have done for us!!
We also will miss Janie and Mike Robinson. They were the very first people we met when we drove into Bentonville in the late spring months of 2010. They are both Realtors at Crye-Leike Realtors in Bentonville. Janie spent many hours riding around with us for two whole days to help us find a place to lease in Bentonville, and we still didn't find anything. But she didn't give up, and she talked one of the other Realtors in their office into getting one of her clients to take their house off the market and lease it to us for at least a year. She went to the house and took over thirty photos so that we could see it, and then we leased it based on those photos and her recommendation without ever stepping foot in the house until we arrived with our things. And the house was more than perfect for us! We ended up staying there for two years! Thank you so much Janie and Mike for taking us under your wing and trying to help us to feel at home in Bentonville. Janie, you are a great ambassador for Bentonville, Arkansas, and thank you for being my friend too. I loved getting to know your family, and thanks for all of those lunch counseling sessions we had while Fletcher was always out of town and I was planning two weddings, and for being my "breast cancer buddy" too. I hope we will stay in touch.
Another special group of people we will always remember is the Goss Sunday School Class of First Baptist Church Bentonville led by Susan and Steve Goss, and their close friends and our family deacon, Susan and Jim Byrum. They constantly reached out to us and included us and helped us to feel at home and a part of our church family while we were in Bentonville. Right here I could make a list of about twenty people who became our close "church friends" that we bonded with through Sunday School where we met together each week to study God's word and we shared prayers and prayer requests for each other and fellowships. I can't say enough good things about First Baptist Church of Bentonville Arkansas, it is an extraordinary place full of people who love and serve the Lord and each other and reach out to the community of Bentonville as the hands and feet of Christ to show His love and mercy to others. We are so blessed to have spent a short time in their midst and we will always remember their love and kindness, not only to us, but to so many others. One other person I would like to mention in particular is the Pastor's wife, Laurie Smith. She was constantly reaching out to me at Ladies Bible Study and whenever I was around her she had a special gift that just made me feel like we had always been friends, even though I had only known her for such a short time. And there were other ladies in the FBC Bentonville Ladies Ministry that really made a special effort to make me feel welcome in their group. Thank you all so much!!I will miss you.
There were others in Bentonville that I crossed paths with that were like angels sent from God. I won't go into too much detail about each one, but I will carry those memories in my heart of a time of such extraordinary grace and mercy that could only have been the hand of God reaching out to me and Fletcher when we needed it the most. There was a meal that was brought to me after surgery, there was a lady that I met at the hair salon, the ladies at the BellaVista Christian Women's Club who prayed with me and prayed for my children that they have never met, and another "new friend" that talked me into going to Bible Study with her because if she hadn't wanted to go I might not have ever gone alone, we had great neighbors next door, and there were several doctors in Fayetteville that took good care of me, and I will forever be grateful for all of these people. God is well represented in Northwest Arkansas!
Now we have moved to Baton Rouge and now maybe it's time for us to reach out and minister to others. We will be on the lookout for opportunities to serve and hopefully we will have the opportunity to be the hands and feet of Christ as we seek to serve Him in our new community. We know that God is always at work in our lives and in our hearts and in the lives and hearts of those around us. We just need to pay attention so that we won't miss the opportunities that will come our way to share the love of Christ in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
What's Up with the Scott Family?
The Scott's Scoop began as blog about the Scott Family, so here is an update on each member of our family:
Fletcher and Pam are still married after 32 years!
(This is what we looked like after being married for 1 year.)
On April 4, 2012 we celebrated our 32nd Wedding Anniversary.
We went out to dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Rogers, Arkansas.
We are so thankful for all of the blessings God has given to us through our marriage.
Of course our most precious blessings are our three children and the years we have spent
watching them grow into adults.
Fletcher is still employed with the Community Coffee Company which is headquarted in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. After a brief time of living in Northwest Arkansas, Fletcher and Pam will soon be moving to Baton Rouge, LA so that Fletcher can continue his career with Community Coffee. During the past twenty-two months he has been the "Walmart Team" representing Community Coffee. When we moved here just 22 months ago the purpose was for Fletcher to lead a "team" to represent the Community Coffee Company and for the company to have a "presence" in Bentonville, Arkansas where the Wal Mart Home Office is located. All of that has changed and the "new" plan now is that we will move to Baton Rouge and Fletcher will be working out of the office there.
The photo below was taken on Fletcher's 53rd birthday!
We celebrated by going to the Naturals game in Springdale, AR.
(It was Dollar Dog night!)
The photo below is of me and Tommy
on the back deck of our home in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Our oldest child, Dan, is married to Kim.
They celebrated their One Year Wedding Anniversary
on February 5 this year.
Dan and Kim still live and work in Houston, Texas, and are both very active in the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Dan has recently changed jobs. He is now employed with the Cobb/Fendley Engineering firm in Houston, while Kim continues to be employed with MD Anderson as a supervisor in the area of Cancer Research. Dan and Kim are both graduates of Texas A & M, and Kim has completed her Masters degree in Hospital Administration from the University of Houston Clear Lake.
They recently got a new little puppy!
He is my third "Grand" Dog, and his name is Buckshot.
They call him "Buck" for short.
Jennifer and Jarred got married on January 14, 2012.
This is a photo taken at Christmas of them with their little puppy "Bella" my second "Grand" dog.
Jennifer, our second child, is furthering her education as she is working her way through the Pharmacy Doctoral Program at The University of Texas. She graduated with an undergraduate degree in Nutrition Science from Texas A & M in 2009.
She still has two years to go to complete the Pharm D program at UT.
She and Jarred recently bought this home (pictured below) in the Austin, Texas area of Cedar Park.
They have one sweet little dog named Bella, and two larger dogs Jackson and Jewel. Jarred continues his career as a Paramedic in Hearne, TX. Yes, it is a long drive for him, but he is making the sacrifice for Jennifer to complete school, and he really enjoys his work.
Amy, our youngest daughter, is currently living in New York City and working on a marketing degree at Parsons School of Fashion.
This degree is in addition to her degree in Finance from Texas A & M University which she completed in 2009.
She will complete her Marketing degree at Parsons in August and hopes to find full-time employment in the Fashion Industry in New York City. This past spring she had an internship with the Mary Kate and Ashley Brands, and this summer she is interning with The Limited Corporation. We have enjoyed keeping her car for the past few months while she has been living and working in New York,
and we look forward to keeping Bailey for the summer. We enjoyed Amy's recent visit to Arkansas.
This photo was taken of Amy and Bailey while they were visiting us in Bentonville, AR.
Bailey was our first "Grand" Dog, and she is two years old.
Bailey was our first "Grand" Dog, and she is two years old.
Well, that just about sums it up!
As for me, I'm just trying to keep up with the day-to-day responsibilities.
I enjoyed my short time as a Substitute Teacher here in the Bentonville and Rogers School Districts this year,
but now I must get ready to move back "home" to Louisiana. We have been blessed with
so many friends and good memories from our short stay here in Northwest Arkansas.
We are so thankful for all of the wonderful people and new friends we have made here in Bentonville. Many people have been extraordinarily kind to us during the short time we have been here. God has truly shown mercy and grace to us here, and it has been a time of much needed rest in many ways. We are so thankful for this time we have had here, and we look forward to what God has in store for us in Baton Rouge where He has already gone before us to prepare a place for us and to bring new opportunities for us to serve Him there. The Lord has already provided a home for us to lease there, so we will be moving very soon!
Laissez les bons temps rouler!
"I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.
That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil - this is the gift of God."
Ecclesiates 3:12-13
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Are you smarter than a Fifth Grader? Probably Not!
Well, my 5th Grade teaching experience was very enlightening! Wow! They are so smart! Fifth Graders today are learning much more than I did way back in 1971 as a 5th Grader! I remember being in fifth grade at Cypress Springs Elementary School in Ruston, Louisiana with Mrs. Neal, Mrs. Snowden, and Mrs. Ashford as my teachers. We did switch classes back then, but other than that we were still mostly treated like elementary kids. Fast forward to 2012 and being in fifth grade today is more like Junior High was for me. Now I understand why Jeff Foxworthy chose to have adults of today to compete with 5th graders because they really do learn so much more than we did at that age. The best part about teaching fifth grade is definitely the age of the students. They are still young enough to love and enjoy school, and yet they are old enough to be interesting people. It was so much fun to get to know the kids and to see them interacting with one another on a social level at school.
I taught four classes of 5th Graders. In all that was about 110 or so students with over 25 per class. One of the hardest things for me to learn was the schedule. School began at 7:40 each morning. We had a very short homeroom time, then the homeroom class would move to their first class and a different class would come in. We had our first period class from 7:45 to 8:45, then they would go to P.E. until 9:25. Then after P.E. that group would move to their next class and a new group would come in for Science. This class would go from 9:30 until 10:30 at which time we would all go to lunch, and lunch was followed by recess. Thankfully it only rained once while I was there. I had cafeteria duty on Monday and Tuesday from 11:05 to 11:35. The students would come inside from recess at 11:25 and go to Encore Time (Specials) from 11:25 til 12:25. Then they would return from Encore get their things and move to the next class and a new group would come into Science from 12:30 to 1:30, then we would switch one last time and the homeroom class would return for their Science time and the end of the day from 1:35 to 2:35. School would dismiss at 2:40. Just before 2:40 they would be getting ready to go and the minute the bell rang everyone would jump up, shout, and hurry (run) out of the room! I tried to work on this, but this was how they were used to leaving each day. I think I made some progress on getting them to stay seated and wait for the bell and to calmly put their chair up on the table and WALK out of the room quietly. But, mostly they jumped, shouted, and ran! Ha! It wasn't as bad as it sounds, but this was not the way most schools are dismissed. Everyone leaves at once, and you just hope they know where they are going!!
The first topic we studied was the Sun and the Solar System. We had to compare the Sun to other stars in the Universe according to the type of star it is and the phase it is in, and the temperature and distance from Earth. If you have not thought about this in a long time, then I suggest you do a little research. It is so interesting that the Sun is our star, and it is "just right" for our planet Earth. Then, as we explored and studied the Earth in relation to the other planets in our Solar System, it is so amazing how the Earth is "just right" for us! We compared our planet Earth to other planets by distance from the Sun, temperature, length of a day (rotation), length of a year (revolution), what each planet is made up of, the atmosphere of each planet, number of satellites, number of rings, etc. All of this is incredibly fascinating if you stop to ponder on each of these things. It is so true that the creation itself preaches a sermon about God and His perfect love for us!
Our next topic to study in Fifth Grade Science was Rocks. Now on the surface, you may not think rocks are all that interesting, but when you consider where rocks come from and the fact that rocks are constantly being created and changing, it is fascinating! We learned about the three basic types of rocks: Igneous, Sedimentary, and Metamorphic. There are two types of Igneous rocks: Intrusive and Extrusive. Intrusive Igneous Rocks are formed by volcanic activity when molten magma cools inside of the Earth's surface. The most common type of Intrusive Igneous Rock is Granite. Extrusive Igneous Rocks are formed by volcanic activity when flowing lava cools on the surface of the Earth. The most common type of Extrusive Igneous Rocks are Basalt which mainly are formed in the ocean floor. It just keeps getting more interesting when you begin to understand the Rock Cycle and how rocks can change from one type into a completely different type due to heat and pressure within the Earth. Kids really love all of this and are so interested in real things like rocks.
The next topic in 5th Grade Science was the upcoming Arkansas Benchmark Test. We spent some time reviewing things they learned earlier in the year, which was hard for me because I had to learn real fast to just keep up! Anyway, they had already learned about Light and cells, and the Scientific Method. Whew! We went through it pretty fast, but I was so intrigued by Light, that I had to stop and think about it for a bit. The fact that the Sun, our nearest star, creates light for us, which travels in a straight line until it is interrupted by an object, then an object will either absorb or reflect certain light waves, depending on what it is made up of, and then our eyes are made to see only the colors reflected by an object. It truly amazes me, to realize that the beautiful colors we see each day are just reflections of God's light. Wow! Try to figure that out! It's only because of our eyes, and the way our eyes see things, that we can see the beautiful colors of God's creation. And, compound that with the perfection of our planet Earth and our nearest star the Sun and our atmosphere, and how could anyone believe that all of this just happened with a big BANG! Not me, it just reaffirmed by belief in God and His love for me. It was fun to see the students realize, maybe for the first time, how wonderful, marvelous, and mysterious our Universe is.
One problem I did encounter with fifth graders was that some are very lazy. Really! Some kids who are very bright and capable, would rather waste their time, sit there and do nothing than pick up a pencil and get their work done, or turn in their homework. I was surprised to see cute and capable kids that have so much materially and physically in their favor, not realize their full potential. I think this was the hardest part of teaching fifth grade - motivation. Even though they loved Science and talking about it, and learning about it, some people just are lazy and will not get the job done when it comes down to it. I can only hope that eventually they will wake up and realize that they are just hurting themselves in the long run. But when I look around at adults I see the same thing. Some people are just not motivated to do their best at whatever the task at hand may be. Some people will just sit and do nothing while others will strive to be the best and others are highly motivated and competitive.
Anyway, my final week with the fifth graders was the full week of testing. Yes, that's right, it lasted a full week. Monday through Friday. It was exhausting. Every day from 7:40 until around 11:30 each day we tested. Most I think did pretty well, and I was surprised that they were able to sit quietly for long periods of time, while some students really struggled with the test. It was most difficult for new students who had not been in Arkansas for the entire year, but moved here recently. That was sad to watch, but hopefully they will adjust and do better by next year. Most of the class I was with seemed to take the test very seriously and seemed to put forth their best effort. I wish I could see the scores, but that will be for their regular teacher to see.
Well, that concludes my time at Old High Middle School in Bentonville, Arkansas. I haven't mentioned this until now, but on about my second day of substituting, Fletcher told me that Community Coffee had offered him a new position which will require us to move to Baton Rouge, Louisiana sometime this summer. Well, I'm back at home now reorganizing things and packing up to get ready for yet another move, and getting ready to say "Good-bye" to Arkansas. It has been quite an experience!
I taught four classes of 5th Graders. In all that was about 110 or so students with over 25 per class. One of the hardest things for me to learn was the schedule. School began at 7:40 each morning. We had a very short homeroom time, then the homeroom class would move to their first class and a different class would come in. We had our first period class from 7:45 to 8:45, then they would go to P.E. until 9:25. Then after P.E. that group would move to their next class and a new group would come in for Science. This class would go from 9:30 until 10:30 at which time we would all go to lunch, and lunch was followed by recess. Thankfully it only rained once while I was there. I had cafeteria duty on Monday and Tuesday from 11:05 to 11:35. The students would come inside from recess at 11:25 and go to Encore Time (Specials) from 11:25 til 12:25. Then they would return from Encore get their things and move to the next class and a new group would come into Science from 12:30 to 1:30, then we would switch one last time and the homeroom class would return for their Science time and the end of the day from 1:35 to 2:35. School would dismiss at 2:40. Just before 2:40 they would be getting ready to go and the minute the bell rang everyone would jump up, shout, and hurry (run) out of the room! I tried to work on this, but this was how they were used to leaving each day. I think I made some progress on getting them to stay seated and wait for the bell and to calmly put their chair up on the table and WALK out of the room quietly. But, mostly they jumped, shouted, and ran! Ha! It wasn't as bad as it sounds, but this was not the way most schools are dismissed. Everyone leaves at once, and you just hope they know where they are going!!
The first topic we studied was the Sun and the Solar System. We had to compare the Sun to other stars in the Universe according to the type of star it is and the phase it is in, and the temperature and distance from Earth. If you have not thought about this in a long time, then I suggest you do a little research. It is so interesting that the Sun is our star, and it is "just right" for our planet Earth. Then, as we explored and studied the Earth in relation to the other planets in our Solar System, it is so amazing how the Earth is "just right" for us! We compared our planet Earth to other planets by distance from the Sun, temperature, length of a day (rotation), length of a year (revolution), what each planet is made up of, the atmosphere of each planet, number of satellites, number of rings, etc. All of this is incredibly fascinating if you stop to ponder on each of these things. It is so true that the creation itself preaches a sermon about God and His perfect love for us!
Our next topic to study in Fifth Grade Science was Rocks. Now on the surface, you may not think rocks are all that interesting, but when you consider where rocks come from and the fact that rocks are constantly being created and changing, it is fascinating! We learned about the three basic types of rocks: Igneous, Sedimentary, and Metamorphic. There are two types of Igneous rocks: Intrusive and Extrusive. Intrusive Igneous Rocks are formed by volcanic activity when molten magma cools inside of the Earth's surface. The most common type of Intrusive Igneous Rock is Granite. Extrusive Igneous Rocks are formed by volcanic activity when flowing lava cools on the surface of the Earth. The most common type of Extrusive Igneous Rocks are Basalt which mainly are formed in the ocean floor. It just keeps getting more interesting when you begin to understand the Rock Cycle and how rocks can change from one type into a completely different type due to heat and pressure within the Earth. Kids really love all of this and are so interested in real things like rocks.
The next topic in 5th Grade Science was the upcoming Arkansas Benchmark Test. We spent some time reviewing things they learned earlier in the year, which was hard for me because I had to learn real fast to just keep up! Anyway, they had already learned about Light and cells, and the Scientific Method. Whew! We went through it pretty fast, but I was so intrigued by Light, that I had to stop and think about it for a bit. The fact that the Sun, our nearest star, creates light for us, which travels in a straight line until it is interrupted by an object, then an object will either absorb or reflect certain light waves, depending on what it is made up of, and then our eyes are made to see only the colors reflected by an object. It truly amazes me, to realize that the beautiful colors we see each day are just reflections of God's light. Wow! Try to figure that out! It's only because of our eyes, and the way our eyes see things, that we can see the beautiful colors of God's creation. And, compound that with the perfection of our planet Earth and our nearest star the Sun and our atmosphere, and how could anyone believe that all of this just happened with a big BANG! Not me, it just reaffirmed by belief in God and His love for me. It was fun to see the students realize, maybe for the first time, how wonderful, marvelous, and mysterious our Universe is.
One problem I did encounter with fifth graders was that some are very lazy. Really! Some kids who are very bright and capable, would rather waste their time, sit there and do nothing than pick up a pencil and get their work done, or turn in their homework. I was surprised to see cute and capable kids that have so much materially and physically in their favor, not realize their full potential. I think this was the hardest part of teaching fifth grade - motivation. Even though they loved Science and talking about it, and learning about it, some people just are lazy and will not get the job done when it comes down to it. I can only hope that eventually they will wake up and realize that they are just hurting themselves in the long run. But when I look around at adults I see the same thing. Some people are just not motivated to do their best at whatever the task at hand may be. Some people will just sit and do nothing while others will strive to be the best and others are highly motivated and competitive.
Anyway, my final week with the fifth graders was the full week of testing. Yes, that's right, it lasted a full week. Monday through Friday. It was exhausting. Every day from 7:40 until around 11:30 each day we tested. Most I think did pretty well, and I was surprised that they were able to sit quietly for long periods of time, while some students really struggled with the test. It was most difficult for new students who had not been in Arkansas for the entire year, but moved here recently. That was sad to watch, but hopefully they will adjust and do better by next year. Most of the class I was with seemed to take the test very seriously and seemed to put forth their best effort. I wish I could see the scores, but that will be for their regular teacher to see.
Well, that concludes my time at Old High Middle School in Bentonville, Arkansas. I haven't mentioned this until now, but on about my second day of substituting, Fletcher told me that Community Coffee had offered him a new position which will require us to move to Baton Rouge, Louisiana sometime this summer. Well, I'm back at home now reorganizing things and packing up to get ready for yet another move, and getting ready to say "Good-bye" to Arkansas. It has been quite an experience!
Friday, March 16, 2012
150th Anniversary of the Battle of Pea Ridge
The Battle of Pea Ridge was fought in the area near Bentonville, Arkansas in March 1862, which helped to secure Missouri for the Union. It was one of the most significant battles in the entire Civil War, and it marked a dramatic turning point in the war in Arkansas. Missouri remained securely in Union hands, and the Confederacy in Arkansas suffered a defeat from which it would never fully recover.
*Whayne, J., Arkansas: a narrative history, p. 174.
The City of Bentonville commemmorated the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Pea Ridge with a reenactment in downtown Bentonville on Friday, March 9, 2012. Everyone was invited, and since the school where I am currently substituting is two blocks from downtown, then we were all going! Yes! The entire school was dismissed to walk downtown to view the reenactment. Fortunately the weather was perfect and also, security is not an issue here. We simply walked out of the building with our class, and 5th grade classes followed 6th grade classes. No streets were closed and traffic was not stopped. No added security was necessary. Just teachers, parents that wanted to attend, and students, walked from D Street up 2nd Street to Main Street and then we stood near the podium in the town square to observe the battle. It was fun, and I'm so glad that I got to experience this with the 5th graders in Bentonville!! The boys especially loved it, the girls squealled and covered their ears when the guns and cannons roared!
Here are a few photos from the 150th Commemmorative Reenactment of the Battle of Pea Ridge in Bentonville, Arkansas.
*Whayne, J., Arkansas: a narrative history, p. 174.
The City of Bentonville commemmorated the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Pea Ridge with a reenactment in downtown Bentonville on Friday, March 9, 2012. Everyone was invited, and since the school where I am currently substituting is two blocks from downtown, then we were all going! Yes! The entire school was dismissed to walk downtown to view the reenactment. Fortunately the weather was perfect and also, security is not an issue here. We simply walked out of the building with our class, and 5th grade classes followed 6th grade classes. No streets were closed and traffic was not stopped. No added security was necessary. Just teachers, parents that wanted to attend, and students, walked from D Street up 2nd Street to Main Street and then we stood near the podium in the town square to observe the battle. It was fun, and I'm so glad that I got to experience this with the 5th graders in Bentonville!! The boys especially loved it, the girls squealled and covered their ears when the guns and cannons roared!
Here are a few photos from the 150th Commemmorative Reenactment of the Battle of Pea Ridge in Bentonville, Arkansas.
As you can see, it was a beautiful day. The night before the low temperature was 27 degrees Farenheit. But by 10:15 am when we set out to walk downtown, the weather had warmed to around 50 degrees, and continued to warm throughout the day.
Here we are just starting out.
Here we have reached downtown.
This Confederate Memorial is in the center of the downtown square.
Here we are facing the Courthouse.
This man was the storyteller. He would tell the story of the Battle as it was being acted out.
The other people are the town dignitaries/politicians.
The lady on the right is a news reporter. She is videoing the event.
The children on the steps are 6th graders. They had the best view.
The doves (or homing pigeons) were released as a tribute to those who died here in the battle long ago.
A Union Soldier.
The Federalists arrive in Arkansas.
Ready for battle!
They had to re-load!
The skirmish continues.
The class!
Crowds around the square.
The battle was fought all around the square so that everyone had a chance to see at least part of it.
Arkansas still considers itself a Confederate State in the Civil War, even though it was so far north and west,
most citizens of Arkansas sided with states rights and the south.
Time to return to school! The kids were all great, stayed together, no behavior problems at all.
They all lined back up, and we walked back to school.
This is just a pretty building we passed along the way back. This is also where we had to cross the street.
Since I have been substituting in the Rogers / Bentonville Arkansas area I have also been to the Walton Arts center to see a cultural arts program called "Stomp!" (I think that's the name of it.) And, I've participated in celebrating Ground Hog's Day! with a school in Rogers where the local celebrity Meteorologist Dan Skoff came to Emcee the event which also included the mayor and the crowning of the annual King and Queen of Ground Hog Day. I think the kids who attend school in this area are very fortunate that they have such a relaxed environment and because there are not any major problems they get to have a lot of fun at school.
After the reenactment, we returned to school, took a quick bathroom break, grabbed our sack lunches and went out to the playground for lunch together. We stayed an extra long time which included their usual Encore time (specials) and then we went back inside and resumed class for the afternoon. It was a great Friday!
Side note: Just off the downtown area in Bentonville is the new Crystal Bridges American Art Museum. We could have walked there from the downtown square. There are many nice walking trails and biking trails near downtown. The kids in school in Bentonville and the surrounding area are getting the opportunity to visit Crystal Bridges with their classes this year too, thanks to Wal-Mart.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Good News!
I have some Good News to share today! Tomorrow I will begin a long-term substitute teacher assignment in the Bentonville Public School system! I will be teaching a 5th grade Science class at Old High Middle School in historic downtown Bentonville, Arkansas for the next six/seven weeks while the regular teacher is taking off to have knee surgery. (Her surgery is early tomorrow morning, so please remember to pray for her to have successful surgery and a full recovery.)
Today I spent the entire day with the teacher and her students to "shadow" her for a full day which was incredibly helpful as I am "stepping into her shoes" at this point in the school year. She plans to return after six weeks, and during this time I will also have Spring Break, so it will really cover the next seven weeks. Her class will be learning about the Solar System, so I will be "re-learning" many interesting facts about the Sun and the planets that God has created so perfectly for us. (This of course reminded me of the sermon by Louie Giglio titled "Indescribable." If you have never heard this sermon or seen the video that goes with it, I highly encourage you to try to find it either online or in a church library.)
Throughout the next six/seven weeks, my prayer is that I will be patient with the students, that I will develop new friendships at school, and that I will have a positive impact on the lives of the students that I will have contact with each day. They seemed like great students today, so I hope this will continue. I'm sure it will be hard for the students to adjust to a new teacher because I could see how much they love their teacher today. The hardest part for me will be getting up early every day. I will need to be there by 7:20am each morning since the school day starts at 7:40am. But the good part of going early is that the school day will end at 2:40pm.
I am so thankful today for this new opportunity, and I'm looking forward to the next six/seven weeks as a fifth grade teacher.
I'll keep you updated on how it's going!
--Pam
Today I spent the entire day with the teacher and her students to "shadow" her for a full day which was incredibly helpful as I am "stepping into her shoes" at this point in the school year. She plans to return after six weeks, and during this time I will also have Spring Break, so it will really cover the next seven weeks. Her class will be learning about the Solar System, so I will be "re-learning" many interesting facts about the Sun and the planets that God has created so perfectly for us. (This of course reminded me of the sermon by Louie Giglio titled "Indescribable." If you have never heard this sermon or seen the video that goes with it, I highly encourage you to try to find it either online or in a church library.)
Throughout the next six/seven weeks, my prayer is that I will be patient with the students, that I will develop new friendships at school, and that I will have a positive impact on the lives of the students that I will have contact with each day. They seemed like great students today, so I hope this will continue. I'm sure it will be hard for the students to adjust to a new teacher because I could see how much they love their teacher today. The hardest part for me will be getting up early every day. I will need to be there by 7:20am each morning since the school day starts at 7:40am. But the good part of going early is that the school day will end at 2:40pm.
I am so thankful today for this new opportunity, and I'm looking forward to the next six/seven weeks as a fifth grade teacher.
I'll keep you updated on how it's going!
--Pam
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Spiritual Warfare
This post is a compilation of notes taken from a sermon that was preached by our Senior Pastor, Phillip Smith, at First Baptist Church Bentonville last Sunday, February 19, 2012.. This was the first Sunday following the recent death and televised funeral of a famous and popular singer of our generation, Whitney Houston. Her death was most likely the result of a drug overdose. He titled the sermon "The Powers of Darkness."
1Corinthians 3:1-3 (NIV)
Brother, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly - mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?
Many of us accepted Christ as our Savior as children. We believed with our heart that Jesus, the only Son of God, was sent to be the Saviour of the world, to live a perfect life without sin, then to die a sacrificial death of suffering on the cross for our sins and for the sins of the world, then He was resurrected on the third day, conquering sin and death, that we might also be resurrected and have a new everlasting life if we believe in Him. And not only to believe, but to follow Him, turning from our sinful life, and taking up our cross daily, dying to our self and our own earthly desires, as we walk in our "new life" with Him. In doing this we have fellowship with Christ and with the Father until death, then after our death we will go to heaven and live with him for all eternity. This is the promise of our faith and salvation through Christ.
Sometimes, what happens is, we make this decision early in life, we are baptized at Church, we are happy to be saved from eternal hell and damnation, and we think that's the end of it. Life goes on, we grow up physically, our lives change, circumstances change, friends change, and we forget our promise to Christ. We forget what He did for us. We stop going to church. We stop having Christian friends which keep us accountable to our faith in Christ. We become selfish, and our worldly desires become more important - education, popularity, financial security, career goals, family, appearances, cars, money, security, clothes, fun, sports, iphone, facebook, twitter and just about anything you can think of that the world offers, we begin to put these things before our relationship with Christ. And, we are lulled into a new kind of contentment of "busyness" and daily worldly affairs so we forget to honor God and our relationship with Christ. We remain as "babies" in our faith, never reaching spiritual maturity in our faith.
Does this mean that we are no longer saved from eternal hell and damnation? Well, I can't really answer that for anyone because it would depend on your personal relationship with Jesus Christ. If you are still seeking him, attending a local church, reading and meditating on His Word the Bible daily, praying continuously, then those are all good signs. But if we have fallen away, we need to readdress our personal relationship with Jesus, and we need to make changes and to seek Him and His will for our lives on a daily basis.
Now, I'm going to get back to the sermon notes:
Revelation 22:10 (NIV)
Then he told me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book because the time is near."
We need to recognize that Christ is going to return as He said He would, and our time here on earth is very short. We are all facing a certain death. We don't have time to play around with our Christian faith because we will be held accountable in the end. And there will be an end. Either Christ will come before we die, or we will die and see Christ after our own death. And then the judgement time will come.What are we doing today for Christ? We should be living a life that brings glory to the Father. We should seek each day to be in a right relationship with Christ. Covered by His righteousness.
1 Peter 5:8-9
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
We need to remember who our true enemy is, the devil. He is real, he does exist and he wants to destroy your life, especially if you are a believer and follower of Christ. What does God tell us to do? Resist Him! Stand firm in the faith! We can only do this when we are in a right relationship with Jesus Christ. He is our only hope and our salvation.
John 8:44(NIV) Jesus is speaking of the children of the devil
"You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."
These verses clearly give us a picture of the devil as Jesus describes him and his followers to the Jews. The devil is a murderer and a liar. He is the "father of lies." This should be easy to identify, and yet we are so easily swept up into lying and deceiving. If you really stop and take a long hard look at what's going on around you in the world today, the devil is very busy and he wants to rob you of your joyful life in Christ, by filling up your life with envy and lies. So we have to be alert and stay close to Jesus in order to resist his lies and deceit.
Ephesians 6:10 - 18 (NIV) The Armor of God
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
This is the only way we will be able to resist the devil, it will take the full armor of God. If we forget to do this, the devil will slip into our daily lives and before long we will have drifted away from the joyful life of serving Christ into a dark and sinful life of serving the father of lies, the devil. This is real, God has warned us, and He has sent us a way to resist the devil. It can only be through His son, Jesus, our Savior. He is the only way. Without Him, we are doomed to a life of sin and darkness, and then to an eternal life of endless suffering in hell. The choice is clear. Who do you serve today?
2 Corinthians 2:10-11(NIV)
If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven -if there was anything to forgive - I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
Christ has forgiven us for a multitude of sins, so we should be quick to forgive others. Holding grudges against others is what Satan wants us to do. He wants to break our Christian fellowship so he can work his schemes. We have to watch out for this! Sometimes as Christians we get angry with each other over trivial things either within the church or within our own families. These are the schemes of the devil who wants to destroy the church and the family.
James 4:7(NIV)
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Staying close to God through our daily recommitment to follow Him, is the only way we will be able to resist the devil. We must make a daily commitment to follow Christ. EVERY DAY! Sometimes pride is what keeps us from admitting that the devil is tempting us. Be careful, and remember this is spiritual warfare.
Ephesians 4:27(NIV)
And do not give the devil a foothold.
1 John 4:4 (NIV)
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
We have to remember that God is greater than the devil, and the battle has already been won for us, we just have to accept it and trust Him. Satan's opportunities only exists when we allow him to come into our lives and interrupt our fellowship with Christ. We have to make a choice and we have to surrender our worldly desires to the Father in Heaven who loves us and sent His only Son to die for us.
Let Christ be the only Stronghold in your life. Choose to live for him today. Resist the devil. Every one of us is facing death, and judgement. Your eternity will be spent either in Heaven with Christ, or in Hell with Satan. Who do you choose to serve today?
1Corinthians 3:1-3 (NIV)
Brother, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly - mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?
Many of us accepted Christ as our Savior as children. We believed with our heart that Jesus, the only Son of God, was sent to be the Saviour of the world, to live a perfect life without sin, then to die a sacrificial death of suffering on the cross for our sins and for the sins of the world, then He was resurrected on the third day, conquering sin and death, that we might also be resurrected and have a new everlasting life if we believe in Him. And not only to believe, but to follow Him, turning from our sinful life, and taking up our cross daily, dying to our self and our own earthly desires, as we walk in our "new life" with Him. In doing this we have fellowship with Christ and with the Father until death, then after our death we will go to heaven and live with him for all eternity. This is the promise of our faith and salvation through Christ.
Sometimes, what happens is, we make this decision early in life, we are baptized at Church, we are happy to be saved from eternal hell and damnation, and we think that's the end of it. Life goes on, we grow up physically, our lives change, circumstances change, friends change, and we forget our promise to Christ. We forget what He did for us. We stop going to church. We stop having Christian friends which keep us accountable to our faith in Christ. We become selfish, and our worldly desires become more important - education, popularity, financial security, career goals, family, appearances, cars, money, security, clothes, fun, sports, iphone, facebook, twitter and just about anything you can think of that the world offers, we begin to put these things before our relationship with Christ. And, we are lulled into a new kind of contentment of "busyness" and daily worldly affairs so we forget to honor God and our relationship with Christ. We remain as "babies" in our faith, never reaching spiritual maturity in our faith.
Does this mean that we are no longer saved from eternal hell and damnation? Well, I can't really answer that for anyone because it would depend on your personal relationship with Jesus Christ. If you are still seeking him, attending a local church, reading and meditating on His Word the Bible daily, praying continuously, then those are all good signs. But if we have fallen away, we need to readdress our personal relationship with Jesus, and we need to make changes and to seek Him and His will for our lives on a daily basis.
Now, I'm going to get back to the sermon notes:
Revelation 22:10 (NIV)
Then he told me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book because the time is near."
We need to recognize that Christ is going to return as He said He would, and our time here on earth is very short. We are all facing a certain death. We don't have time to play around with our Christian faith because we will be held accountable in the end. And there will be an end. Either Christ will come before we die, or we will die and see Christ after our own death. And then the judgement time will come.What are we doing today for Christ? We should be living a life that brings glory to the Father. We should seek each day to be in a right relationship with Christ. Covered by His righteousness.
1 Peter 5:8-9
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
We need to remember who our true enemy is, the devil. He is real, he does exist and he wants to destroy your life, especially if you are a believer and follower of Christ. What does God tell us to do? Resist Him! Stand firm in the faith! We can only do this when we are in a right relationship with Jesus Christ. He is our only hope and our salvation.
John 8:44(NIV) Jesus is speaking of the children of the devil
"You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."
These verses clearly give us a picture of the devil as Jesus describes him and his followers to the Jews. The devil is a murderer and a liar. He is the "father of lies." This should be easy to identify, and yet we are so easily swept up into lying and deceiving. If you really stop and take a long hard look at what's going on around you in the world today, the devil is very busy and he wants to rob you of your joyful life in Christ, by filling up your life with envy and lies. So we have to be alert and stay close to Jesus in order to resist his lies and deceit.
Ephesians 6:10 - 18 (NIV) The Armor of God
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
This is the only way we will be able to resist the devil, it will take the full armor of God. If we forget to do this, the devil will slip into our daily lives and before long we will have drifted away from the joyful life of serving Christ into a dark and sinful life of serving the father of lies, the devil. This is real, God has warned us, and He has sent us a way to resist the devil. It can only be through His son, Jesus, our Savior. He is the only way. Without Him, we are doomed to a life of sin and darkness, and then to an eternal life of endless suffering in hell. The choice is clear. Who do you serve today?
2 Corinthians 2:10-11(NIV)
If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven -if there was anything to forgive - I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
Christ has forgiven us for a multitude of sins, so we should be quick to forgive others. Holding grudges against others is what Satan wants us to do. He wants to break our Christian fellowship so he can work his schemes. We have to watch out for this! Sometimes as Christians we get angry with each other over trivial things either within the church or within our own families. These are the schemes of the devil who wants to destroy the church and the family.
James 4:7(NIV)
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Staying close to God through our daily recommitment to follow Him, is the only way we will be able to resist the devil. We must make a daily commitment to follow Christ. EVERY DAY! Sometimes pride is what keeps us from admitting that the devil is tempting us. Be careful, and remember this is spiritual warfare.
Ephesians 4:27(NIV)
And do not give the devil a foothold.
1 John 4:4 (NIV)
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
We have to remember that God is greater than the devil, and the battle has already been won for us, we just have to accept it and trust Him. Satan's opportunities only exists when we allow him to come into our lives and interrupt our fellowship with Christ. We have to make a choice and we have to surrender our worldly desires to the Father in Heaven who loves us and sent His only Son to die for us.
Let Christ be the only Stronghold in your life. Choose to live for him today. Resist the devil. Every one of us is facing death, and judgement. Your eternity will be spent either in Heaven with Christ, or in Hell with Satan. Who do you choose to serve today?
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