Happy Birthday CIndy

Happy Birthday to my wife, Cindy! I surprised her with some purple tulips, since that is her favorite color, and a book called "The Ultimate Gift." I also bought her the DVD with the same title.

look who's back!

After winning back-to-back championships in NCAA basketball, the Florida Gators are rebuilding this year. For the first time in many years, the Gators have not seen the top 25 much this year. Finally this week, they are back in the rankings this week, # 20 in the AP poll and #19 in the ESPN/USA Today poll. Just ahead of them in both polls is Vanderbilt, who the Gators beat last night. I took note of a comment from the broadcasters during last night's game. It was about Nick Calathes, one of several freshmen starters. Coach Billy Donovan has offered scholarships to only four high school sophomores; Calathes was one of them. see video highlights below

Gators defeat Vanderbilt

highlights of the game and comments by Coach Donovan

cool beans and other stuff

A recent article in the US NEWS & World Report reminded me about an incident regarding Big Oil from the 1920's. It was a lesson from the 8th grade US History textbook about the "Teapot Dome Scandal." (It also reminds us that there is "nothing new under the sun.") The Teapot Dome is located in Wyoming and was given its name from a rock resembling a teapot that rose from the oil field. The "scandal" developed when the Secretary of the Interior under President Warren G. Harding, Albert B. Fall, opened up the oil reserves in this federal land to private use, while trying to keep it a secret. He leased the land to a couple of oil companies and the companies in turn allowed him to borrow over $400,000. In the end, Fall was found guilty of bribery and fined $100,000 in 1929 and the oil reserves were returned to government control. Read more

Also on the subject of oil, I listened to a caller on a talk radio show who mentioned that there were hundreds of "capped" oil wells in Colorado. All that we hear from the news media is that our country does not have enough oil, but according to this site called globalresourcecorp.com - there are over 400,000 "capped" oil wells in the U.S. and most of them still have 50% or more oil reserves available to use. Now, it makes me wonder why our Congress does not allow these wells to be used? Things that make you go, "hmmm "

family photo Sunday

My wife celebrates another birthday this week. This photo of Cindy with her Mam-ma Baggett was probably taken in 1955.

music for the christian

There is a lot of discussion these days about the right kind of music that is acceptable in church worship. Music plays an important part in churches and whether it is a valid reason or not, people choose a church many times based on the type of music used in the worship service. Speaking from personal experience, when we moved to Georgia we found several churches with excellent preaching, but we felt the music did not back up the preaching. More today than ever before, young people feel that music is neutral and it does not matter what style the music is as long as the words are biblical. The common saying goes, "the style of music doesn't affect me." With that thought in mind, our pastor attended a two-day "music summit" at the Wilds Conference in January. He was one of three or four pastors invited to participate in this summit, along with music professors and/or representatives from most of the well-known fundamental Christian colleges, and several composers and musicologists. Pastor Sweatt shared with our church this final three-point statement on music for the church and Christians that was agreed upon by all at the summit:

• The Word of God prayerfully studied and rightly divided provides an infallible standard for music.
• Music has an influence both for good and evil, and cannot be considered neutral in its effect on believers and unbelievers alike.
• The effect of music is not always observed. Every person can consciously filter out the negative music. The effect of music may not show up soon, but over time it will show up.

another anniversary

Gary Varvel is a newspaper political cartoonist from Indiana. Gary is a Christian and it usually shows in his cartoons from time to time, especially this week. Thanks for the reminder, Gary ....

Our three granddaughters-Dec. 2007

college basketball - let the "real" season begin

read highlights of Clemson-Duke on Saturday

Even though, college basketball started in early November, I still feel like the real season has just started. In the last week or so, conference play began for Florida in the SEC and Duke in the ACC. It has been fun to watch the young players at Florida as they become a team over the last few weeks. Everyone expected this year to be a rebuilding year for the Gators, but they had a solid win over Kentucky Saturday night. And, of course, I have been patiently waiting for the Dukies to move up in the polls. With two great wins last week against Florida State and Clemson, the Blue Devils are now 15-1 and sit at the no.3 spot in the ESPN/Coaches poll and no.4 in the AP poll. It was really nice of North Carolina to lose on Saturday and help the Dukies move up in the rankings (UNC is right behind them in both polls.) Coach K is just an amazing coach and after a couple of tough seasons, I think he has found a winning combination. Duke is led by one senior, Demarcus Nelson, and one of the juniors as starters, Greg Paulus, and then four sophomores and four freshman that were eight of the top recruits in the nation are also on the roster.

view photo gallery of game

Family photo Sunday

I decided to post my "family photo of the week" on every Sunday beginning today. The rest of the week you can view it on the sidebar, but the photo in the sidebar can not be enlarged for viewing. I hope you will enjoy these photos from the present and past. This week's photo proves that we did get snow in Atlanta. All of our neighbors had told us that it never snows here. Well , we did get about an inch or more, but not enough to make "snow ice cream" !

Who knew?
Frosty is a Gator fan!

five hours later and still snowing

It's been five hours since the snow began and now they predict it might snow until 9pm tonight. We took a walk around the block and I took some more photos of the neighborhood. (click photo to enlarge) Kids were sliding down hills and building snowmen already. Cindy thinks we should build one later today. Mmmm... snow brings out the kid in you again!

here we snow again!

The weather man was right for a change. I went to the men's leadership breakfast and Bible study at church this morning around 8am and it was still raining. On the way back to Duluth at 10am, the rain had just changed to small sleet pellets. I stopped to get a haircut and watched in wonder as the rain and sleet changed into light snow. After my haircut, I stopped at Publix to buy the essentials - bread, milk, snacks and food for two days at least - and when I came out of the store it was snowing large flakes and the grassy areas and cars were covered. What a beautiful site we're having today! We are supposed to get 1-3 inches of the white stuff and then the temps are going to drop to 17 tonight! Brrrrr! Here are some photos from the start of our second snow day in a week - and our neighbors had told us Duluth never gets snow!

the first snowfall of the season

I will have to work on taking pictures when it comes to snow. It's been so long since I have seen the snow falling, and it was just about dark when it began, that these pictures are the best I could come up with. We did get about an inch of snow here as it snowed for about 3-4 hours last night, but not enough to keep me from going to work today.

Some photos of our visit to Stone Mountain Christmas

reading with a new perspective

As I began reading the first book in the Bible (Genesis) in my quest to read the Bible completely through this year, I noticed that I was reading with a new perspective. We have been attending Berean Baptist since we moved to GA in August, and one thing Pastor Sweatt has taught me is that I should not only read the scriptures to learn what a verse "says" but also to learn what it "does not say. " This week as I read about Noah and his building of the ark, my initial thought was that I could tell this story from memory. However, this time as I read the end of the account - how that God made a rainbow and put it in the cloud - I realized that I have always thought the rainbow was a reminder to us(mankind) that God would never destroy the entire world by a flood again. The rainbow was not just to be a reminder for us, but even more it was to be a reminder to God. Anytime God sees a rainbow today, it is a reminder to Him ("a token of the covenant") that He promised Noah and mankind that he would never destroy the entire world with water again.

Genesis 9:14-17 (KJV)

And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

Cabbage Patch Kids at Babyland

signs along the journey

I remember telling someone a few years ago that there was one place I would never go - Babyland General Hospital -where Cabbage Patch kids are "born". . . . . . what we won't do for our granddaughters!

more Christmas photos

Josh, Janelle and Brielle
Brielle Michala, Christmas 2007

Josh sent a couple of photos from Christmas Eve taken at his church in Pennsylvania.

JANUARY birthdays slideshow

family news update

To all our family and friends, we wish you a happy new year!

My 2nd resolution for the new year is to NOT post a birthday blog for every person in our family. Instead I am returning to the monthly family "news" format. So if you send us a card, letter, or email - even a phone call will do - with news, baby announcements, birthdays, anniversaries, awards, prayer requests, etc., then I will try to include it in the blog.

For January, we have a lot of birthdays to celebrate. Some are on my side of the family - the Franklins - and the others from my wife's side - the Baggetts (hence the name "franklybaggs.blog")

Happy birthday this month to:

Robbie Blackstock . . . Jan 3rd
Colin Baggett . . . . . . . Jan 8th
Pam Baggett . . . . . . . . Jan 11th
Noel Baggett . . . . . . . . Jan 29th
Tyler Huston. . . . . . . . . Jan 29th
Catie Baggett . . . .. . . . . . Jan 31st
Cindy Franklin . . . . . . Jan 31st
Philip Logan . . . . . . . . Jan 31st

OTHER NEWS>>>Our niece, Brandy McDonald, sent an update about her son Noel who was very sick. The test results were salmonella and nothing worse, but keep praying for his recovery>>>Josh had to spend New Year's Eve watching the ball drop at the ER. He has bronchitis and would appreciate your prayers also >>>Stephen, Leah, Natalie and Meredith came to visit on Dec 23rd and left Tuesday to drive back to Wisconsin. They arrived home about 4pm on Wednesday.>>>I could not rub it in about our warm weather though, because it disappeared when they left. It was 15 degrees the last two mornings here in GA! I think if it's going to be that cold it ought to at least snow a little bit!>>>We enjoyed having Brandon and Rachel visit for the weekend, too, but they had to head back to Jax on New Year's night. >>>Cindy went to her job interview and workshop for Gwinnett County Schools today, so in about two weeks she will be able to start substitute teaching. This is another answer to prayer! >>>

a new year - 2008 begins now

In a recent issue of Reader's Digest I read an interview with a famous Hollywood actor and he mentioned that he tries to read the Bible through every year. It has been awhile since I tried to read the entire Bible in a year, so one of my resolutions is to do just that. I found this website that will be useful to read the Bible on line this year called One Year Bible Blog.com. Each day provides a link to Biblesearch to read specific verses from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs on line, or you can read the passages from your own Bible.