family photo album

We kept Stephen busy when he visited for the holidays in December. He was able to finish the back wall of our garage so we now have an extra room. We still have work to do on the inside of course, but we now have a room we can use without worrying about the weather.

check out these bloggers

Just want to share with you some bloggers I have read recently.

First blog is written by Ryan Martin, a post-graduate student at a fundamentalist Baptist seminary. His blog can be read at immoderate.blogspot.com

Another blog of interest is written by two 17 year old twins, brothers Alex and Brett Harris. I like the blog title, an invented word I guess, www.therebelution.com This invented word is defined on their site as a widespread teenage rebellion against the low expectations of an ungodly culture.

Jacob Morse, a graphic designer, has a blog called Putting the Action in Distraction.

This blog is called karagraphy * joy writing in the rock river valley - and always has good thoughts and quotes posted, as well as lots of links to other bloggers if you have time to surf...

If you feel the need to read some "conservative" political views, check out powerlineblog.com

am radio is alive and well

I find it interesting that AM radio is still alive and well in 2006. Most stations broadcast only during the day and many have switched to talk radio formats. I was reminded of this again as we traveled home from SC on Monday night. It seems the only AM stations I could tune in on I-95 were talk formats. I was hoping to listen to a basketball game, but both stations I heard were from way, way north of here. I listened to AM 700 for awhile from Cincinnati, Ohio. The talk show there was focused on the story of a dad who was arrested for spanking his child with a belt (in public I guess.) The judge scolded him for teaching his child violence by spanking his child. The radio host pointed out several times, that the violence in this fair city was more likely caused by a lack of parental discipline, or a lack of a father in the life of the children, and he disagreed with the judge. Many callers also disagreed with the judge and gave "testimony" to the fact that they had been spanked and they did not go around robbing and killing people now that they are grownups!

Another thing about AM radio at night - Does anyone know why you can tune in to a station from up north, but the local stations are lost after about 30 miles distance? I was able to listen to another station in Tennessee and one in Atlanta, GA, but that was it. I finally picked up a J-ville station about 20 minutes from home. Listening to AM radio on the way home reminded me of the summer nights in my teen years (back in SC) when I would try to listen to radio late at night and could only hear a station from Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Oh well, it made the trip go by a little faster.

along the journey...

Sometimes you just have to get away...

We took a quick weekend trip to SC to visit my parents. Their pastor "showed mom and dad off" for us at church, asking them to sing Sunday morning. What a special blessing to hear them sing again, one of their favorite songs "I've just heard from Heaven, and it's alright now." Sunday night, my mom played her "famous" arrangement of "Keep on the Firing Line."

On Monday, I went to Target and bought a 20" color television for $88.00. Can't beat that price! They had two broken, old TV's in the kitchen, one setting on top of the other, and we were able to get rid of one at the dump. (Dad insisted on keeping the one that wasn't completely dead yet!) He wanted to drive by the "old homestead" since my cousin Judy had sold it recently. The house is being restored we found out. The man working on it was from Orlando and he restores old homes for a living. He was just as excited to meet my dad as my dad was excited to be able walk in the home and see what was transpiring. I will post some pics as soon as I can, as they have gutted the 4 rooms inside and are doing a complete restoration. This should be finished in April, so we hope to go back and check it out. I did not realize my dad was born in this house in 1926, and all the memories that must be there for him.

We also were able to stop by the Cowpens Veteran's Memorial Park, near the old train depot. The city has inscibed the names of all the town's war veterans in granite. They just recently added Dad's name to one of the monuments.

Now if I can just get rid of some of those old telephones!(that's a story for another day)

JJ Redick breaks another record

JJ Redick broke the record for the most points by any Duke player yesterday with 2,557 points, passing his assistant coach, Johnny Dawkins.

Redick is the leading candidate for player of the year.


For the second consecutive game, Duke needed a postgame ceremony to recognize the efforts of J.J. Redick. The senior guard from Roanoke, Va., tossed in 30 points to become the school’s all-time leading scorer as the Blue Devils defeated Miami, 92-71, on Sunday evening at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Now with 2,557 career points, Redick passed current associate head coach Johnny Dawkins for the top spot on Duke’s scoring chart. Dawkins registered 2,556 career points from 1983-86. Redick now sits in second place on the ACC all-time chart, trailing only Wake Forest’s Dickie Hemric who had 2,587 points.

You can check out the photo galleries of the Duke-Miami game at these two links - duke gallery and AP photo gallery .

March Madness is almost upon us!!

family photo gallery

Another birthday - the clan in Texas recently celebrated the birthday of Colin Baggett, the son of Jeremiah and Katie. He turned 3 years old! These kids sure grow up fast!




Family in Wisconsin have been praying for a good snow day, so Natalie could enjoy the sledding. Looks like they had plenty of snow to enjoy this week! More photos are posted at the link to Watching Natalie Grow.

cool beans..and other stuff

Two men were talking one day. One of them said, "My wife talks to herself a lot." His friend answered, "Mine does too, but she doesn't know it. She thinks I'm listening."

There's a legend about a scorpion, being a very poor swimmer, who asked a turtle to carry him on its back across the river. "Are you crazy?" exclaimed the turtle. "You'll sting me and I'll drown." "My dear turtle," laughed the scorpion, "if you were to drown, I'd go down with you. Now where's the logic in that?" "You're right," replied the turtle. "Hop on." The scorpion climbed aboard and halfway across the river gave the turtle a mighty sting. As they both sank to the bottom, the turtle inquired, "Do you mind if I ask you something? You said there is no logic in your stinging me. Why did you do it?" "It has nothing to do with logic," the drowning scorpion replied. "It's just my nature."

“Tact is the art of making a guest feel at home when that’s where you wish they were”

For more than 20 years a fire has been burning deep within the earth of Centralia, a small community of 1,200 residents in the heart of Pennsylvania's anthracite coal fields. Fifteen federal, state and local agencies have spent more than $3.5 million to extinguish the flames without success. You can touch the earth and feel the heat. Driving through the town, you can see smoke rising from the ground. Government officials have stopped trying to put out the fire; it's a futile task.

heart month

February is "Heart Month" and we can all learn more about the heart with this link to "The Heart: An Online Exploration". This site has been developed by the Franklin Institute Science Museum in Philadelphia, PA.

Explore the heart. Discover the complexities of its development and structure. Follow the blood through the blood vessels. Wander through the weblike body systems. Learn how to have a healthy heart and how to monitor your heart's health. Look back at the history of heart science.

duke photo galleries

Photos from the Duke - Wake Forest game on Tuesday. Next game for Duke is Sunday afternoon, Feb. 19th.


Here are some links to the Duke Photo Galleries from the past week's game.

First gallery is from the Duke-UNC game on Feb 7th. Duke won the game 87-83 but it was a close one - see my post last week.

Next gallery is from Saturday, Feb 11th, when Duke beat Maryland 96-88. The "Blue Devils" do not have to "fear the turtle"

One more gallery - this one from Tuesday, Feb. 14th, when Duke has an easy win over Wake Forest, 93-70. History was made at this game as JJ Redick set the record for the most three point shots of any college player in the history of the game (at 414).

new websites to view

Check out this site called Forces of Nature. You can learn about volcanoes, earthquakes, hurricanes and tornadoes at this site found at www.nationalgeographic.com.

Another site to help you keep track of the Olympics is at www.usatoday.com. The home page shows a count of the total medals won by the USA and other countries. Also the link to the photo gallery is great with more photos added daily. Of course, the official site of the 2006 Torino Olympics can be found at www.torino2006.org


This next site has some neat pictures of New York at www.overshadowed.com. This picture is called "Tribute in Light" and was taken on Sept. 11, 2004. Just click on the word "previous" or "next" at the top right of the picture to view more photos in the series.

If you have been keeping up with the latest rage in the Muslim world about the political cartoonist and their depictions of Muhammad, check out this cartoon by Gary Varvel at www.indystar.com


Lot's of good reading this week!

along the journey...

FAMILY NEWS UPDATES:There will be at least two new family members this year. My sister's son, Kenny and wife Casey, are expecting their first child in July in South Carolina. My oldest son, Josh and wife Janelle, are expecting their first one due in September in Pennsylvania. As you probably know by now, Josh and Janelle moved to PA in December. He is the assistant Pastor at Hope Baptist Church in Hanover. They are really happy to be working full-time in the ministry.

RECENT BIRTHDAYS:My wife, Cindy, celebrated number 52 on January 31st. One of our nephews, Philip Logan, turned 17 on the same day. We went to Chan's Chinese for a combined birthday dinner. My youngest son, Brandon, hit the quarter-century mark turning 25 on February 9th. He came home from community orchestra practice with several cards, presents, and his favorite-chocolate chip cookies.

OTHER NEWS:
We just learned that Cindy's mom, Winnie, will be having surgery next week. Please pray for her that this will go well.
Not sure about Wisconsin, but I know PA was hit hard by the snowstorm this past weekend. When I spoke to Josh yesterday, he had just finished about 4 hours of shoveling snow. With 12 inches of snow, I hope he has time to make a snowman!
My nephew, Philip, performed with 42 other students last Friday with the Douglas Anderson Guitar Orhestra here in Jax. We enjoyed the concert which featured two famous guitarists-Michael Chapdelaine, Acoustic Guitar Virtuoso and Roland Dyens, French Guitarist/Composer.

notes from revival

We were blessed to have the evangelist, Jerry Sivnksty ("Si-ven-ski") for a week of revival at church. Below are some of the notes I took from his sermons:

Marks of an authentic church

1) The mark of submission
The first step after becoming a Christian is the step of baptism. The Bible teaches us that we are to follow the Lord Jesus Christ in baptism.
Romans 6:3-4 "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."

2) The mark of separation
When we are saved, we should no longer be serving sin. We need to separate from the sin around us in this world.
Romans 6:6 "Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin."

3) The mark of service
We are "alive" to serve Christ on this earth.
Romans 6:8 "Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:"

4) The mark of our Savior
This last mark is the gift of eternal life through Jesus
Romans 6:9-10 "Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God."

Other quotes from the revival:

"The devils also believe in God"

"We must as individuals go by faith, in every area of our life."

"Count it all joy when trials come."

"We need to look in the mirror of the Word of God (the Bible) to keep our life clean."

Favorite verse he quoted that week -

Isaiah 55:8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD."

web comics

Who needs the newspaper's funny pages when you can read comics online? I discovered web comics recently and this link will take you to the process of making one. There are three sections you can view - part one: pencilling, part two: inking and part three: digital scanning, and then you can view the final product called Copper also.

family photo gallery

new pictures of our grand-daughter - she is growing up so fast!


Natalie goes to work


Natalie and Andrew enjoy the game


Natalie, the babysitter


Natalie likes to camp out in her tent(one of her Christmas presents)









Leah says:
"Natalie has just been being such a big girl lately... it is funny. Stephen walked in the door late the other night from work and was talking on the phone (I think to you, Dad). Natalie went in the fridge, got out a bag of carrots, put them in a bowl and gave them to Stephen. I didn't tell her to do that or anything! She just thought of it on her own. And today, it was getting to be around lunchtime and I guess Natalie was hungry because she got out paper plates and had them set at her table setting and mine and was just sitting there... It was so cute.

Thought you'd enjoy hearing those stories... I am just amazed at how much she has grown just in the last week."

peanuts

my favorite comic strip of all time is Peanuts, especially this time of the year!!

happy birthday

Brandon with his favorite snack, Little Debbie Fudge Rounds

Brandon is 25 years young today. Happy Birthday...and many more!

duke 87, north carolina 83

Josh McRoberts and JJ Redick celebrate with a chest-bump after the win


As Dick Vitale says, "Awesome, baby!" and another "Maalox Masher" game from the Dukies last night! With Duke leading by 17 in the second half, North Carolina clawed and scratched their way back into the lead with three minutes to go. You have to admire the way the Tarheels came back from that huge deficit. But once again, JJ Redick made the shots when they were needed and Duke was able to win again. It was interesting to watch the North Carolina coach take his starting five players and bench them after they fell behind by 17 points. UNC Coach Roy Williams said after the game, he was so mad that if he had not taken them out of the game right then, he might have been charged with assault and battery! Looking forward to the next game this Saturday at 1:00 pm, Duke travels to play the Maryland "Fear the Turtle" Terrapins. It's gonna be another close one!!

sports news

The New York Times has an Olympic homepage with interactive media, videos, articles and more at www.nytimes.com - 2006 Winter Olympics


It is "Rivalry Week" in college basketball this week. Duke plays at North Carolina tonight at 9:00pm on espn - link to article

duke photo gallery

You can check out photo galleries from this week's games at these sites. Last Wednesday, Duke beat Boston College in close game, 83-81. As one of the players said this week, "we are 21-1 and could easily be 16-6 at this time of the year." Each team Duke plays is becoming their "game of the year" and this makes for some really good basketball games! Duke-Boston College photo gallery

Hope you got to see the Duke-Florida State game on Saturday. Florida State almost won this game, sending it in to overtime at 84-84. The Dukies were able to pull out the win 97-96. It was so close that if Shelden Williams had not made the last two free throws with 3.3 seconds to go, then Florida State would have won with their last shot being a 3 pointer just before the final buzzer. Duke-FLorida State Photo Gallery

'Til the storm passes over

God can use the storms of life to fulfill His will. Is the wind blowing? He is flying on the wings of the wind. Are the clouds thick? He will bring showers of blessing out of them. Don't be afraid of the storm. Storms can come from the hand of God and be the means of blessing. (words of wisdom from Dr. Wiersbe)

family photo gallery

Stephen closed in the back of our garage for our Christmas present. I will post the finished project later, after a final coat of paint.

Natalie's first haircut in December 2005!

What is Uncle Brandon doing, Natalie? You can print this and color it:)


Ashley sent this cute picture of Joel, Jeremiah and Colin when they went to pick out their Christmas tree

listen while you surf

I found a new Christian site to listen to while surfing the internet, working online, doing schoolwork, etc. This site is free and is at www.vcyamerica.org and you can listen by dial up or broadband by clicking the link on the home page. Along with music, they have bible teaching and programs such as Unshackled and Crosstalk. I discovered this online radio station through reading about it at sharperiron.org. They interviewed Jason Janz one day last week on their Crosstalk program. At the crosstalk link, you can listen to previous programs at the "archived program" link.

it's tough getting old

KNOCK ON WOOD: Three elderly sisters lived together, and one night the 95-year-old sister went to take a bath. She put a foot in the tub and paused. "Was I getting in or out of the bath?" she yelled to her sisters. The 93-year-old sister yelled back, "I don't know. I'll come up and see." She started up the stairs and paused. "Was I going up the stairs or down?" she yelled to her sister below. "I hope I never get that forgetful," thought the third sister, knocking on wood. She then yelled to her sisters, "I'll come up and help both of you as soon as I see who's at the door."

birthday girl

Happy birthday to my lovely wife!

dukies back on track

After losing their first game of the season, Duke was back on track last week. Two great games and two great wins on Thursday and Saturday. First, they took care of Virginia Tech on Thursday, winning 80 - 67. This game was not as close as their first contest this season, when Sean Dockery won the game with a shot from half court. By last Saturday, Duke was back on track, watching the game was like watching a clinic on basketball. Everyone on the team was playing well in this game, and JJ Redick still scored 41 points. Check out photos of the game at goduke.com
Duke won this game 82 - 63. Next up will be at Boston College in Massachusetts, Wednesday night at 9:00 pm on ESPN.

why do we blog?

now you know! :)

to those who left their mark

Since the tragic death of my wife's brother in October, I have been trying to come up with a tribute blog for the family. I decided to set that up as a separate, companion blogsite just for posting family history and memories, called To Those Who Left Their Mark. The first posting is a tribute to my wife's grandmother, who everyone called "Mam-Ma". Now my wife has taken that same name, "Mam-Ma", as given to her by our granddaughter, Natalie, and our next grandchild.(Yes, that means I am called "Pap-Paw") Our oldest son and his wife, Josh and Janelle, are expecting a baby, due September 10th. We just found out Saturday, so now I am announcing it to the world today!!


The new site can be found on my sidebar links now, or you can go to www.franklybaggstribute.blogspot.com.

photo gallery

at the Gator Bowl game...see new pictures posted at Watching Natalie Grow

Happy New Year! Everyone went to see the fireworks at midnight except the sick one(me!)

"Chocolate City"

If you missed Ann Coulter's column last week, you can read it at her website. The column she wrote is called "Chocolate City Sprinkled with Nuts" and is one of her better ones.

making oil from sand

Have you heard about the production of oil from sand in Alberta, Canada? No, I am not making this up!

ksl-tv in Utah reports on this -
In fact, the Alberta oil sands have now vaulted Canada into second place in proven oil reserves, just behind Saudi Arabia. Trucks are hauling away sand that's naturally black with petroleum. Each truckload contains 200 barrels of oil

A search on yahoo found two other links about this. One is at Wikipedia.org and is about the Athabasca Oil Sands, large deposits of tar sands, in north-western Canada.

A third article explains in detail how the oil is refined from the sand and can be read online at mechanical engineering magazine.org - Oil sand kicks into high gear

It appears that we may soon try to do the same thing in Utah. Maybe someday we will be able to tell Saudi Arabia, and all the other countries, to keep their oil.

summer in Arkansas

We have lots of memories of summers in Arkansas and this year we will be going there again to make some more. We have two units at Fairfield Bay Resorts in Fairfield Bay, Arkansas, for the family to enjoy. We will be descending upon Arkansas from Florida, Pennsyvania and Wisconsin in June. Cindy is excited that each unit has a laundry and that there are two baths in each unit, with two bedrooms, and a couch sleeping a total of 6 in each unit. We will be closer to the extended family in Pine Bluff(about 2 1/2 hours north), so we will will be able to take a day and drive down to visit the family. Also, Rhonda and Carl are working on a rafting trip for one day. I know my sons are up for that! White water rafting sounds like fun to me but I cannot swim, so we will see...

This photo is from the summer of 1999 when we camped at Lake Ouachita (pronounced Wash-i-taw). This man-made lake is at the top of Brady Mountain.

the dukies drop to 2nd place

We knew it was bound to happen sooner or later. Duke lost to a very good team on Saturday. Georgetown basically had Duke's offense figured out, they practically stopped Shelden Williams. They could stop JJ Redick, but even with a season high of 41 points, as Coach K would say later, the other players on the team can not just sit back and let everyone watch JJ play. Give credit to Georgetown, they played very well and after leading the Blue Devils by 16 points in the second half, they deserved to win. Duke pulled within 2 points, but lost the ball with 5 seconds to go. The ESPN poll came out Monday and Duke only dropped to the number 2 spot. I am happy with that! The Florida Gators, by the way, also lost their first game of the season and dropped from number 2 to number 4 in the same poll. The next month is going to be a fun one, with every team "getting up" for Duke, and each game becomes a tournament atmosphere. And that is fun basketball to watch, even if your team loses. Just a prelude to MARCH MADNESS!! Duke's record is now 17-1

firstscience.com

Here's another site for all of the teachers in the family. Science news, videos, even poetry (you can refresh your American or British lit here.) The web site at firstscience.com has a bit of everything that has anything to do with science. For example, this link takes you to the video site where you can watch Neal Armstrong, the first man on the moon. In the sidebar, there are links to science news, science poems, crosswords, games, cartoons, picture gallery and more.

in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth...

first appearances can be deceiving

The other day I posted a link to a new movie, End of the Spear, which at first glance seemed to be a movie for everyone to see. I have been reading many Christian blogs since then and have found that there is a great deal of concern over the casting of a gay activist in the lead role. As well there should be. My first thoughts when I read this was, "there goes Hollywood again" and "how could they dare ruin the memory of these missionaries"? In researching this, I have found that the movie was actually produced by a religious, independent film company, so Hollywood is not to blame this time. I have read many reviews and blogs that relate to this movie and will post them below for you to read and decide for yourself. I have to agree with those opposing the use of Chad Allen in this role, as Dr.Albert Mohler says "What were they thinking?"

Chad Allen starred in Our House and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman on TV, but it appears the last few years, he has been spending most of his time directing behind the camera and not acting, and also busily promoting the gay lifestyle as normal. In this article, Steve Saint answers questions about why he would allow someone so opposite from his dad's character to have the role of Nate Saint in the movie. I can only hope and pray that God might use this experience of acting in the role of a Christian to open the eyes of Chad Allen to his need for salvation. I know he has been on Larry King Live with John MacArthur in the past, and Chad has heard the gospel presented plainly.

The first blogger to alert Christians was Jason Janz at sharperiron.org, with article title Nate Saint played by gay activist in "end of the spear". Posted on January 12, the word is getting around now. He makes some very good points in the article such as "we must reach gay people with the gospel, but this is not the way" .

Ted Baehr's movieguide.org gives this move it's highest rating, wholesome, and gives a complete review. No mention is made of the controversy, of course, and I also read a review in the local paper yesterday. I thought it was interesting that the reviewer said the film has "religious overtones". Another reviewer mentions the lack of the name of "Jesus" in the film, only "the son of God" is used. Another more positive review can be found at focus on the family.

One more thought on the movie, and I will finish this "essay"... The film company, Every Tribe Entertainment, also released in 2005 a documentary about the missionaries called Beyond the Gates of Splendor. This is the film you may want to watch after all. If you have a flash player, you can click on the link at this site and listen to some of this documentary.

In searching the blogs I did find a very good article on the five missionaries, also posted on sharperiron.org - "Fifty Years Ago...Five Ordinary Fools" You will be able to read quotes from the men, as well as their wives. The lives of these men have impacted so many in our country, it would be a shame to just dwell on the negatives of this movie controversy, without reflecting on the good that came out of their lives. I still remember the play, Bridge of Blood, that was performed during my first year of college. The play was acted out "readers theatre" style in the Philips Chapel of Highland Park Baptist Church in Chattanooga. The year was 1973 and I still remember the emotion at the end of the play when the spotlight went out as the missionaries were killed, and in the darkness the pipe organ blasts out the music of "Be still my Soul, the Lord is on your side..." Still gives me goose bumps to this day!!

conservative christian music

You can depend on Sacred Music Services to consistently produce good conservative music for the Christian. Tim Fisher has been leading the way for over ten years now. The latest CD from SMS is called "Peace and Comfort" and if you like string ensembles this one is for you. You can listen to it online at www.oldchristianradio.com


Craig Stouffer, his brothers and dad, have released their third CD. Craig is the tenor in my son's quartet, the Voices of Praise, and you will enjoy hearing the Stouffer men sing together. You can listen to "Come & Sing" also at ocr.com.

not an easy win

The Dukies pulled it off again, win #17, but this one was not easy! They played a great NC STATE team and up until 4 mins to go, the lead was back and forth between the two teams. I recorded the game and watched it after church, but I was still nervous until the end. I think I ate half a box of Cheez-its! With about 4 minutes to go, Sean Dockery was fouled as he scored a three pointer. He missed the extra point, but was able get his own rebound and pass it off to another Duke player, who was then able to shoot a three, giving Duke a 6 point lead.(Whew!) This took the wind out their sails (of NC STATE) and Duke was able to win the game.