Arkansas travelers, day 1

One thing about living in GA, we are now about 6 hours closer to the relatives. We drove to Arkansas in less than 10 hours for the first time in over 30 years. It was nice to have help driving this time, as I drove the first leg of the journey and Brandon drove the 2nd. We arrived around 4:45pm Saturday and we had just finished unpacking when Carl and Sharon arrived. Coincidentally, his job sent him to Arkansas for a few days, so they were able to join us for the beginning of the vacation week. Josh, Janelle and Brielle had arrived earlier on Thursday.

We headed to Red Lobster to eat supper and celebrate Janelle's birthday. I enjoyed the "winning recipe" which was featured from The Next Food Network Star TV show - Macdamia Tilapia with White Chocolate Beurre Blanc (made by Kelsey Nixon.) She was given two main ingredients, tilapia and white chocolate, and had to create a meal from these two items. This main course was fresh tilapia topped with toasted macadamia nuts and coconut over a buttery sauce with a hint of sweet white chocolate (and delicious!)

all about the tomato farm

baby girl Charlee Ann surrounded by tomatoes

On the way home from vacation in Pine Bluff, we stopped to visit cousin Lori and husband Craig at their tomato farm in AR. It is a very interesting farm operation. I did not realize that all the tomato plants are grown from seeds in greenhouses and then planted by hand in the fields, as well as picked by hand during harvest season. That's a lot of tomatoes! For example, one variety on the farm are grape tomatoes and they grow 15 acres of that one type. KATV from Little Rock posted this video Sunday night about the farm operation and history.

Bradley County Tomatoes

family photo Sunday

I was reminded of this old photo as we watched all the children playing this week in Arkansas.

Cindy and Leslie (photo from the mid-1950's)

America The Beautiful

Glassmen play "America the Beautiful"
Happy 4th of July!

JULY birthdays slideshow

let the vacation begin

By the time you read this post, we should be in Arkansas on vacation. Today at Victory Baptist Church in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, our family will be singing (along with others) for a special day of music, preaching and food. I picked out a couple of songs that we can sing with or without a pianist. Brandon is to play his trumpet, Rachel will play the flute, and Josh may even get to preach before the day is over. Uncle Joel is supposed to sing after the lunch for the afternoon service. I probably will be limited in my ability to blog during the week, so I wrote this blog on Friday night and scheduled it to post automatically on Sunday.

finally . . . our home

After much prayer and searching for a home since we moved to Georgia last year, we finally closed on our new home today. We wanted to find something closer to our church in Lilburn, but not too far from my job location. Our new home is about 10 minutes away from church in Lawrenceville, so we will be able to become more involved in church activities.

thinking about vacation

As the month comes to an end and with summer just beginning June 20th, we are looking forward to a much-deserved vacation. That is if any one really "deserves" a vacation! I can be thankful that my company's benefits include several weeks of paid vacation. It is good to take time for rest & relaxation, and just get away from the daily grind. This summer we are heading to Arkansas for our vacation and look forward to seeing many of the family again. It has been a couple of years since we visited my wife's family. Last summer, my job moved me to Georgia, so our vacation was close to home in Florida.

Some of the possible tourist attractions we might see this year are:
Petit Jean State Park
Delta River Nature Center
Museum of Discovery
4th of July Pops on the River

family photo Sunday

From one of our past vacations to Arkansas (2005) - this photo shows us at the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View.

what can you do for your country?

You probably feel like I do - that there is very little I can do when it comes to the political decisions that are made in Washington, DC. But sometimes if we all work together our voices can be heard. Check out these links to conservative and Christian websites that are working to make America safer and stronger and helping to keep our freedoms alive.

American Solutions -
at this link you can sign the petition to "Drill Here. Drill Now. Pay Less"



Newt.org is the home page of Newt Gringrich, who I believe is one of the smartest politicians to ever work for our country. Newt is not in political office currently, but I would expect he might run for President some day.

Heritage.org - The Heritage Foundation sponsors a site that is committed to building an America where freedom, opportunity, prosperity and civil society flourish. This site has a link to order a free pocket copy of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.

AdvanceUSA.org - Finally there is a Christian organization that is working to advance the conservative causes in our country. Carl Herbster, the senior pastor of Tri-City Ministries in MO, and former President of the American Association of Christian Schools is the leader of this organization. They are working in Washington to promote conservative issues - Pro Family, Pro Life, Pro Justice, Pro Religious Freedom, and Pro Morality.

April in New York City

Now that our niece, April Logan, has finished college, she is heading to New York City for a summer evangelistic ministry team. She hopes to find a job at a hospital in Queens, NY, later this fall.

Click to view the ministry team blog - NYSET

a little humor...

family photo Sunday

We enjoyed spending Father's Day 2008 in SC with my parents.

family photo album

Check out Leah and Stephen's family in Wisconsin at this link.
Click link above to view the latest photos of Natalie, Meredith and Sophia.

final update on the Trout River bridge

One thing I was able to do in Jacksonville was take these photos of the finally finished Trout River I-95 bridge. It was a beautiful ride over the bridge compared to the snarled traffic I had to endure while traveling to work for about 2-3 years.

last day of school

Talk about deja-vu!

It was kind of strange waiting for Mrs. Franklin to finish her last day of school this year. After so many years (28 to be exact) of helping my wife finish her last day at Victory, here we were with the newest Mrs. Franklin doing the same.

weekend trip to Florida

We traveled down to Jacksonville last Friday for the graduation ceremony at Victory Christian Academy. Since my wife taught there for the last 28 years (except 2007-2008) she really wanted to attend this year's graduation. She would never tell you this, but the Valedictorian mentioned her during his address, so you can tell she made an impact on their lives. Also in the "it's a small world category" - our current assistant Pastor from Lilburn, Ga, Randy Hurst was the special speaker for the graduation. It was great to see many of our friends again in Jax. The youth pastor's wife posted some photos of the graduates at this link.

After helping Brandon pick out a gas grill at Home Depot on Saturday morning (a late wedding present from his parents, brothers Josh and Stephen and families, Uncle Carl and Grandma Baggett) we joined Cindy, Kayla, Dave and Andy in helping Rachel pack up her teaching supplies from her classroom and take them home. We followed Brandon and Rachel and headed back to Georgia as she was singing with the group "Adoration" at Calvary Baptist Church in Gray, GA. We enjoyed listening to the ladies practice and even got to hear our son practice his trumpet solo, "It Is Well." We had time to catch up with the ladies in that group and make some new friends at the church before we headed home to Duluth.

And, yes, I did take a nap on Sunday afternoon!

family photo Sunday

This photo reminded me of the fun times in Arkansas when the kids were growing up. We will be making some more memories next month on our family vacation.

31 years and counting!

Yes, we were young once upon a time!

We celebrated our 31st anniversary on June 4th.

JUNE Birthdays slideshow

family photo Sunday

You've probably heard they do things different in Arkansas . . . like going bare foot everywhere . . . and baking bread in mason jars . . . This is a funny photo from a November 2005 as Uncle Joel, Jo Ann and Linda ponder how to get the pumpkin bread out of that mason jar.

from the web, May edition

Here are the interesting "reads" from the month of May via the following links:

Dr. Bob Jones III in a letter to the editor writes "What's so amazing about 'Amazing Grace'?"

Who says all young people are bad today? View photo of a young man helping a girl run her race in the special Olympics recently.

Brian Whalen's post concerning the role of deacons in our church today on his Zealous Endeavor blog: Stephen the Servant Martyr

MSN.com has a link on the web to check the latest gas prices by zip code. This is something we all might find useful as gas heads closer to $4.00 per gallon.

My blog has been added to the Bible Blog Directory with other Christian bloggers from around the world. You will find " The Journey of Life " in the Georgia section, of course.

Just for fun, take the THINK TEST at this link (you can turn the sound off at the bottom right)

searching for a home

We have been busy house hunting for the last month! After spending the first week looking at about 15 homes we were very discouraged. Most of the homes in the price point we were searching were foreclosures and most of them were in bad shape. The previous owner or tenant had left many of them in shambles. After a week or so, I checked with two other lenders in the area and found that we could afford a higher price point at about $20K more. We looked at 5 homes on a Saturday and thought we had decided on one. But after sleeping on it, Sunday we decided that house was not the one we wanted. So we checked two more homes that happened to be in the same subdivision and this is the home we are hoping to purchase. After making an offer and then accepting their counter-offer, we put down earnest money today. Hopefully this Tuesday we will meet with the home inspector and we are hoping he does not find anything major wrong with the house that would delay the closing date. If the Lord wants us to have this home, we know it will all work out. The home would be about 10 minutes from our church and maybe we will start to feel like this is home.

I must say searching via the internet has changed the way you buy homes now! You can view public records on line now and find out who owned the home last, how much they paid, the taxes for the last year, etc.

gospel music has lost one of its best

The gospel music world has lost a great songwriter. I am sure many of you read about the tragic death of Dottie Rambo, whose tour bus crashed recently. I remember many of her songs from my childhood - singing them in church with mom and dad and my sisters. "If That Isn't Love" has always been a favorite of mine. Since I am not familiar with most southern gospel songwriters, I was surprised to read that Dottie had written and published over 2500 songs. Another song she wrote became a favorite of mine while attending church in Jacksonville, Florida. "I Will Glory in the Cross" is one of her best and I think one of THE best gospel songs ever written. We used it with our choir and orchestra many times in an arrangement published by Camp Kirkland in the "Simply Gospel" SATB collection. We also used it as a ladies ensemble or trio arrangement. I am sad that she has passed on. But if you listen to or read the lyrics about Christ in another song she penned, "We Shall Behold Him," then you know she is happy to be home in Heaven with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Other songs she wrote included "Remind Me, Dear Lord," "Behold the Lamb," and "Tears Will Never Stain the Streets of That City."

Click to read Remembering Dottie

Click to view songs written by Dottie Rambo

Click this link to view Dottie Rambo.net

drum corps season 2008

The temps are warming up a little more each day, so that means summer is just around the corner; and that means the Drum Corps season is here. Photo from DCI Atlanta show in 2006.
Check out this link to view the schedule for DCI shows around the country.
This links to my favorite corps - the Blue Devils from Concord, California.

The 2007 Champs - watch the Concord Blue Devils Camp Report 2008 Video below

Memorial Day 2008

US Air Force Reserves Band from Memorial Day Concert in Suwanee

We enjoyed the Memorial Day Concert and were glad the rain finally stopped as the band played. The choir from a church in Sugar Hill started the concert at 7:30 instead of 7:00 because of the rain. The US Army parachute team had to cancel their part of the show. Here is another video of the US Air Force Reserves Concert Band based in Rollins, GA. The medley, arranged by a band member, is based on the tune "Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines" but you will hear other tunes including a little bit of "Star Trek."

family photo Sunday

Our oldest son is an assistant pastor in PA and is pictured (center) performing the "stagecoach" skit at a recent youth activity.

Amazing Grace @ Memorial Day Concert 2008

One of the highlights of the concert was this arrangement of "Amazing Grace" featuring bagpiper with the band. He walked on and off stage playing alone - it was very effective.

Memorial Day Concert Slideshow

We enjoyed the Sugar Hill Choir and the U S Air Force Reserves Concert Band in a Memorial Day Concert Friday night at the Town Center in Suwanee, GA. The choir presented a patriotic program with narration, singing many medleys and new songs. The band started the program with National Anthem, followed by the Olympic Fanfare and Theme composed by John Williams. They played several marches by Fillmore and Sousa including a circus march, "The Gallant Seventh", "The Stars and Stripes Forever" and the "Midway March" by Williams. The band also featured a bagpiper who played "Amazing Grace" accompanied by the concert band. Two of the members also sang songs with the band - "The Battle Hymn" and "God Bless the U.S.A." with the rousing chorus: "I'm Proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free. And I want forget the men who died , who gave that right to me." It was a great way to start the Memorial Day weekend and be reminded that our freedom is not free, and as the narrator spoke several times - to remember those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom.

You can also view the photos at this link

Click this link to read Gwinnett Daily Post recounting story of a WWII Vet

Click to view video of "Amazing Grace"

our granddaughters

Leah recently posted this cute picture of their three girls on her blog.

Congrats to Airel

Congratulations to Airel Baggett on his graduation from high school - May 22nd

Congrats to Colby

Congratulations to Colby Blackstock as he graduates from high school May 20th.

family photo Sunday

What difference four years make! This family photo was taken just after our first granddaughter, Natalie, was born in 2004. Now by the end 2008 we will have 5 grandkids!

family news update

Cindy's cousin by marriage, Josh York fell about 20 feet and broke his femur (leg bone) and both of his wrists several weeks ago. Amy and Josh need our prayers during his recovery. The good news is that he was able to go home this week and will be going to physical therapy twice a week, so progress is being made.

The Lord protected our oldest son and his family this week during a car accident. On the way to school in Hanover, PA, a car slammed into the rear-end of their Honda Odyssey Minivan. Thank the Lord for in His providence no one was hurt.

Our family vacation is just around the corner and the Franklins are going to invade Arkansas again this summer. We heard through the grapevine that our niece Brandy and her family from Texas are also planning to come up to Arkansas for the week. Just leave those "crazy ants" in Texas, please! Looks like we will miss Uncle Kelsea & Roxie, and Sheryl and her kids who are traveling to Arkansas from California in August.

words to ponder

Sunday evening before the service began, I overheard a mother sharing with a friend the sermon notes that her elementary age son had written during the morning service. She was excited that her son had listened so well. It was notable that while our pastor expounded on the verse that reads "Be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit," the young listener summed it up as point #1 "Be not drunk." I think he got the point. It gave me an idea to share some of the recent notes I have gleaned from the services at Berean. Here are some recent quotes taken from the sermons of Pastor Sweatt that are words to ponder:

"The most worthy thing is to be changing into His image."

"Spiritual maturity takes time. If Satan can get you to quit doing what God wants you to do, then you will stop maturing."

"We must allow God to change us - not depending on self-reformation."

"Be a person of hope! Looking around - you will be perplexed. Looking within - you will be discouraged. Looking up - you will be hopeful."

family photo Sunday

Happy Mother's Day to Cindy - from your "boys"

Arkansas family expecting 18th child

This is a pretty amazing story and it even made the Drudge Report this week. The Duggar family from Arkansas will be featured on the Discovery Health Network this month. The Duggars are expecting their 18th child and are asking for help to name this one. All the children have names starting with the letter J - so you can vote on this website as to what name they should use for a boy or a girl. We had friends at our church in Jacksonville that had 10 children and I thought that was a lot. I guess the more, the merrier. OK - Josh, Stephen and Brandon - the challenge is on (just kidding!)

Click to view FUN FACTS on the DUGGARS

Click to vote for a name for baby#18

Click to view the names of Duggar children

Forrestworks for symphonic wind band & choir

On Friday night, May 2nd, the Bob Jones University Commencement Concert included the premier performance of a new work composed by Dan Forrest titled In Paridisum. Well known for his choral compositions and arrangements, this is his first composition for band and choir. You can listen to excerpts at this link to BJU.EDU. It will be available on CD this summer from the campus bookstore and according his blog, Soundforth will release it on a CD titled Forrestworks this fall.

family photos

#1 Click to view photos from April Logan's graduation from BJU last Saturday

#2 Click to view photos from Natalie's 4th birthday (posted at Leah's blog)

(Yes, I know this photo was not taken in WI, I just like this pic from Fernandina Beach)

family photo Sunday

Congrats to our neice April Logan. She was one of 40 students to graduate with a degree in Nursing from Bob Jones University yesterday, May 3rd. We were really surprised and blessed to be there and hear her give her testimony during the graduation service. May God bless her as she continues her journey of life.

CLICK TO VIEW MORE PHOTOS

MAY BIRTHDAYS SLIDESHOW

April receives her nursing pin today

It is a special day for our niece, April Logan, as she receives her Nursing pin today at the Bob Jones University School of Nursing. She will receive her diploma with a degree in Nursing tomorrow morning at 9 AM. After graduation, April plans to travel with the New York Summer Evangelism Team for 8 weeks in New York (a city with over 8 million souls.) After the summer, she plans to move to New York City and help with a church planting ministry.

the journey IQ challenge

presented by TravelPod, the Web's Original Travel Blog ( A TripAdvisor Media Network partner )