Participants are being asked to pray for at least three to five minutes, not that the government would change America's dire situation, but that the church would change its focal point to reliance on God.

"The focus here is not the church just pointing fingers saying we hope the government gets it right," said Tony Perkins, the Call 2 Fall campaign organizer. "But rather that we get it right. And we take responsibility for our communities, and we take responsibility for our nations."

Perkins who is also the president of the Family Research Council, a Washington D.C. family-values lobbying organization, said that too often the church expects the government to solve America's economic, political and moral problems but that the "prescription" for an ailing nation lies in 1 Chronicles 7:14, which admonishes Christians to humble themselves and pray.

On the Call 2 Fall Web site, Henry Blackaby, the founder of Blackaby Ministries International, said that Christians must read 1 Chronicles 7:13 to have the proper perspective and urgency for Sunday's call to prayer and repentance. The Scripture first says, "When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people (NIV)," but then goes on to admonish the church to ask for prayer and forgiveness to "heal" their land, Blackaby said.

Perkins said that now is the time for Christians to radically seek God, unify and take responsibility for this nation's spiritual condition.

"Americans, we're kind of proud-and even the church, we've kind of expected God to come to us on our terms," Perkins said. "I'll just be honest: I think the problems facing our nation are not political and another election is not going to solve our problems. Our problems are spiritual."

Perkins said the concept for the Call 2 Fall is simple. Though Christians need kneel and pray only for three to five minutes, he said, he is expecting the results to be monumental.

Perkins was inspired to launch the prayer initiative after reading that the Continental Congress called the colonies to pray and fast on July 20, 1775, a month after they had begun a war with England for their independence. Perkins is hoping that thousands of Christians will kneel to pray for our nation on Sunday as thousands did when our nation fought to become independent.

Harry R. Jackson, pastor of Hope Christian Church in Beltsville, Md., who is dedicating his entire church service to prayer and repentance, said that he believes this prayer effort could be a catalyst for the nation's transformation.

"The American culture is in tremendous nadir—low point—in terms of our spirituality and in terms of a cultural commitment to principles consistent with God's words," Jackson told Charisma. "I believe that we are on the verge of a great awakening that needs to be ushered in through this kind of massive prayer initiative."

“The thing we like about your faith, Craig …” Vincent paused for a drink while I sat back ready to take the compliment. What would it be? Was he about to praise the freshness of my insight? Could it be the way in which I was so rooted in both contemporary culture and ancient Scripture? Or was it simply the fact that I was such an example of purity and—yes, I could say it—humility?

“The thing we like about your faith,” Vincent repeated, “is that it actually doesn’t seem to make any significant difference to your life at all.”

There was not much to say to a statement like that. I just sat there, my mouth a cross between a smile and that strange twisting thing it does before you’re sick.

Later, sitting on the train that swayed me home to the suburbs, I took out my scalpel and got to work. Why had it hit me so hard? Were they right? What did this mean about my faith—was this to become the evening before the day when my beliefs evaporated and deserted me once and for all?

How we communicate with people about our faith is an issue that divides us. Some see it as the potential cause of every good thing—that if we just communicate correctly, then we will have gotten Christianity pretty much right. Others see it more as the symptom—that if we’ve got the internals sorted out in our relationship with God, then the way in which we relate to others will flow well as a result.

These divisions do strange things to us, molding us into comic stereotypes as we live closer to the margins. On the one hand, there are those who suggest that the only way to do it properly is to tell people about faith. Loudly. And often. For this camp, it becomes all about the words: words that persuade of the truth, words that will form into a simple prayer which must be prayed if eternal salvation is to be guaranteed.

The others favor more action and less talk. They’re the spiritual equivalent of badgers, with a faith that is surprisingly quiet and keeps its teeth well hidden. To the guys in the words camp, they’re the liberals—the postmodern relativists who have robbed Christianity of its guts, leaving it pallid and struggling on the roadside.

The truth is that both camps have gotten some things right. Both have gotten some things wrong. And both exist on the fringes of dualistic thinking where Christianity so often gets dragged, but in which it so often fails to thrive.

At the heart of the debate is a line often attributed to St. Francis of Assisi. “Preach the Gospel,” he is reported to have said. “And if necessary, use words.”

How do you feel about that? Breathing a sigh of relief that all that cold-call witnessing out in the street can finally be put behind you? Disgusted by yet another limp-wristed liberal patsy Italian excuse-muncher letting people off the hook?
The first time I heard it, I pretty much wept for joy.

When I was a teen I flirted with being an evangelist. Actually, I flirted with the idea of being an evangelist. I liked the idea of being so impressive and influential. It was only when I realized I’d have to actually talk to people that I went off the idea.

In fact, it was when I finally did start to talk to people that I began to realize that arguing them into the Kingdom of God was simply not what I believed faith was about. As I spent time at university meeting a whole new Benetton ad of friends, it quickly dawned on me that I didn’t just have to like Christians. And if I liked these weirdly shaped spiritual nomads, could there be a chance that God might feel the same way? If I hoped to make them think with my words, shouldn’t I allow them that same kind of possibility to influence my own thoughts and views on the world?

This was all very well and good, but it didn’t fit with the church I found myself in when I left university. There I was every Friday night—a 22-year-old with an English literature degree and a thing for suede jackets and turtle necks, joining my fellow believers in a new venture called friendship evangelism. This was it, we’d decided—the way to take old Franky’s advice about preaching without necessarily using words. We’d simply open up a venue, sell food and drink, play some music and get to know them—these 14-, 15- and 16-year-olds from the local town.

It made no sense to me. They wore sportswear even though none of them were on their way to or from a gym. They danced in big group circles or long lines or not at all. They clammed up whenever I stood near them, sensing my unease and sending off plenty of their own. They liked football. They thought smoking was a tool for social networking, and they hadn’t heard of Bob Dylan.

And we were supposed to be their friends. Correction: We were supposed to become their friends. We were supposed to make an effort to get to know them, to “come alongside” them in the hope that they’d want to come to church. Was I the only one thinking that this all seemed like the work of a cult?

I felt out of place, awkward, struggling for something to say. Not only was I supposed to be the adult, but I was supposed to be getting them signing up for a life of devotion to the Lord Almighty. It was all too much, and I ended up doing what I was never clever enough to do when I was younger: I hid. I had a sophisticated array of diversionary tactics to choose from, all designed with one single purpose in mind—to stop me from having to talk to the little buggers.

Why did I do it? Because I had to. I don’t mean that there was some strong religious conviction driving me on with it. It was purely the pressure from those running the church. If we belonged, we came along to these Friday night events. And when we were there, we made sure we talked to the kids. It all sounds pretty harsh and draconian reading it back right now, but it’s true. We were there to work.

These days I can see it all far more clearly, but at the time what made me so frustrated about it all was this: We called it friendship evangelism, but my real friendships, the ones where a bit of evangelism was needed and where I could deliver it—well, those friendships were dying. Why? Because I was too busy to spend time with them. I was hanging around with kids I didn’t like in the name of being their friend, and all the while my real friends were being pushed to the edge.

Now I can see what it was about the whole thing that failed for me: I am the world’s worst salesman. And that form of evangelism was all about the sale. We set up our shop equivalent; had our opening and closing hours; and invited people to come in, browse and allow us to clinch the deal with them.

It worked. But not very often. A decade on, and there were only a handful of people whose journey of faith was going strong after having started back in the café. More significantly, the café idea got ditched years ago.

I eventually got myself extricated from my Friday nights of torture and got back to hanging out with my friends. The very same people who, years later, would issue the verdict that my faith didn’t really make all that much difference to my life.

I don’t think I can quite begin to describe how much St. Francis of Assisi bugged me. I was no good at using words, but when I kept it quiet I seemed to lose the transmission feed entirely. I was obviously a complete failure.

As ever, it’s the margins that offer infertile soil for faith. The truth is that the debate is not about whether we should favor evangelism or service. Surely the discussions need to be about the very nature of those things. Can we only serve through acts of physical kindness? Aren’t there times when the kindest thing to do is to tell someone honestly—but without the ridiculous notion of having to pressure someone into making a decision—about our own beliefs, questions and journey?

And won’t there be times when the most profound form of evangelism will come from simple acts? Think, for instance, about Jesus writing in the dust near the feet of the woman caught in adultery.

If this either/or is a false opposition, then there is one other way forward that we might look at. I heard someone once call it integral mission, and I only narrowly avoided losing consciousness through lack of interest. But through the haze I caught word of something that seemed like it might offer a way forward. It was the idea that as Christians we must care for the whole of the person, not just part. That means their physical as well as emotional needs, their relationship with God and their relationships on earth. Food, clothing, education, wholeness, faith—these are the issues in people that we must all address. They require us to break out of the molds.

If we open our eyes and see things in terms of these opportunities—rather than the rigid structures of whether we talk or don’t talk about our beliefs—something happens. We stop things being quite so much about us. What matters more are the needs of those around us. Those needs are vast and will require all our resources, ingenuity, patience and devotion—and the ability to not get stuck in any one camp at all.

Unlike Oreo’s, these cookies use organic cacao that comes from smallfarmers in the Talamanca region on the Atlantic coast of Costa Rica andPanama, many of their farms which provide buffer zones for the LaAmistad Biosphere Reverse, a habitat for endangered species. Theyuse farming methods that do not require the destruction of the rainforests.

The organic chocolate produced in Central and South America are doneby cooperatives inspected to verify compliance with organic standardsand which are produced without the use of forced labor.

Newman’s Own Organics was founded in 1993 by Paul Newman’s daughter,Nell. It follows in the charitable tradition established by PaulNewman, and all its profits are donated to charitable and educationalcauses.

        Ministry is often informal – as close as thewater-cooler. To move from thought to action it is important to defineyour goals on paper. Create an acronym to lend definition to your"ministry". A good example is SEEK (Seek, Edify, Educate with Kindness). In effect, you are motivated to ‘SEEK ‘people to bless. REACH may be another short-form you could use (Reach-out, Edify, Appoint, Challenge, Help-out).Next, examine your gifts to determine the best ways to connect withpeers. Finally actively look for opportunities to put your ministry inmotion; in the boardroom, at lunch, or during free-time. You will beginto see how it will redefine your peers’ perception and your standing asa leader.

      How do we shine as Christians in the workplace?We don’t need to wear crosses around our necks, tack scripture to ourcubicle walls or spew out bible verses to be recognizable. Our witnessis in our approach to communication. We need to be effective observerswith a keen sense of detection on how to serve. "Greater love hath noman than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John15:13). And when it comes to inspiring others, everyone is a friend. Inessence, put down selfish priorities and bless someone! Love in actionis the way to win at work.

--Keysha Benedetto is an Examiner from Long Island. You can see Keysha's articles on Keysha's Home Page.

ROME (Reuters) – Vatican archaeologists using laser technology have discovered what they believe is the oldest image in existence of St Paul the Apostle, dating from the late 4th century, on the walls of catacomb beneath Rome.

Vatican newspaper Osservatore Romano, revealing the find on Sunday, published a picture of a frescoed image of the face of a man with a pointed black beard on a red background, inside a bright yellow halo. The high forehead is furrowed.

Experts of the Ponitifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology made the discovery on June 19 in the Catacomb of Santa Tecla in Rome and describe it as the "oldest icon in history dedicated to the cult of the Apostle," according to the Vatican newspaper.

The discovery, which involved removing layers of clay and limestone using lasers, was announced a day before Rome observes a religious holiday for the Feasts of St Peter and St Paul.

Peter and Paul are revered by Christians as the greatest early missionaries. Converting on the road to Damascus following a blinding vision of Jesus, Paul took the Gospel to pagan Greeks and Romans and met his martyrdom in Rome in about 65 AD.

Early Christians in Rome buried their dead in catacombs dug into the soft rock under the city and decorated the underground walls with devotional images, often in the Pompeian style.

An estimated 30,000 Christians will parade through the streets of Bordeaux, Lille, Nantes and Paris, France, distributing 100,000 Bibles and 20,000 gospel tracts. Representing at least 70 different churches, marchers will carry signs proclaiming Jesus as Lord as they sing worship songs.

Parade participants also hope to be able to share their faith with the estimated 800,000 people who will gather for the nation's annual gay pride parade, whose route will intersect with the March for Jesus. Christian marchers have been prepped to pray and witness to the homosexuals without fear.

"It would be such a great privilege to be praying for all of the thousands of homosexuals that will be marching on the streets," said Christine Thabot, an event organizer and co-pastor of Temple de Paris with her husband, David. "We're not afraid. They need love, and we are there to bring them the love of Christ."

The march comes at a time when organizers say French opposition to Christianity has been worsening. They say it is nothing short of miraculous that they were granted permission to have a parade, much less distribute Bibles and preach the gospel publicly.

Thabot called the march "an anomaly," noting that march organizers lobbied for the last year to get permission to hold the event.

"We are not allowed in France to just go about and talk about Jesus or evangelize openly unless you have permission," she told Charisma. "We can't sing or play our music or give away Bibles or tracks. You've got to have permission. This is the only day in which we are allowed to give out leaflets."

Jim Daly, pastor of Jesus Christ Fellowship in Middleton, Calif., and a U.S. partner of the French March for Jesus, said Christians need to pray for the parade and for revival to break out as a result of it.

"[In France] it's always going up hill," Daly said. "It's always going against the grain. Not like it's much better anywhere else, but France just is an acutely hard country.

"When you land and get off the airport there in Charles de Gaulle in Paris, you can feel spiritually the oppression. And there are these beautiful cathedrals and museums and stuff, but there is something in the spiritual that is very strong, and it is like a stronghold."

Many French Christians have struggled to practice their faith, especially in the last decade as secularism has risen. It is difficult for many to obtain mortgages or permits for church buildings, Daly said, and numerous congregations meet in barns and parking garages.

"It's its own form of, really frankly, a humanistic, anti-Christian sentiment," Daly said. "Some people have estimated that there is really as many as 20 percent of French people that are atheist. And so many of the rest are nominal Christians."

Daly has partnered with other Southern California churches to hold a prayer service in the U.S. at the same time the parade will be taking place in France.

"For those that can't be there and can't march, at least we can pray for a blessing and a breakthrough," Daly said. "Frankly, just a breakthrough that revival would breakout in France."

Both Daly and Thabot are asking Christians worldwide to join them in praying for a radical change in the country and that the parade would cause the European nation to realize the hope they have in Christ.

(CNN) -- A friend of mine had a houseguest recently who, while sipping a cup of tea at her kitchen table late at night, broke out into nasty-looking hives all over his back. A quick inspection found that a tick had burrowed its way into his skin. After removing it with a pair of tweezers, she whisked him to the emergency room.

"I was really worried," she told me. "Ticks can cause allergic reactions. I wanted him to be seen by a doctor immediately."

But when they arrived at the ER, they were told there would be a three-hour wait. Thinking fast, my friend remembered reading the name of the hospital's president; we'll call him John Smith. "I lightheartedly said, 'I wonder what would happen if I called John Smith and woke him up? Would that get him seen any faster?' "

Her houseguest was seen by a doctor immediately.

Was my friend being really smart -- or really obnoxious?

Both, said the emergency room doctors I talked to. As waits continue to grow longer in the emergency room, patients need to think about what to do if they feel that they're not getting the attention they need in an already overtaxed ER.

According to a report out this week, the average total waiting time in a U.S. emergency room in 2008 was four hours and three minutes, a 27-minute increase in nationwide average wait times since 2002.

The report by Press Ganey Associates analyzed the experiences of nearly 1.4 million patients treated at more than 1,700 emergency departments nationwide.

The recession is one chief reason for the increase, according to the American College of Emergency Physicians. In a survey in January of more than 1,700 emergency doctors, 66 percent said they'd seen an increase in the number of patients in their emergency rooms over the preceding six months. Most of the physicians -- 83 percent -- reported seeing patients who'd lost their jobs and health insurance and delayed medical care.

"Some of these people come to the ER because they've been turned away by their primary care physician, because they've lost their insurance," said Dr. Angela Gardner, incoming president of the physicians group. "Sometimes they've delayed care because they have no insurance and end up with a much more serious condition."

Gardner, who works in the ER at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas, said these newly uninsured people are taxing an overburdened system.

"We're overwhelmed and swamped," she said.

Given this situation, I asked four ER doctors what they would do if their spouse had a life-threatening emergency and they felt as if they weren't getting the attention they needed in the emergency room. Although they all pointed out that emergency rooms do an excellent job of triaging patients, and you might have to wait while others who are sicker than you get seen by the doctor, there are some steps you can take if you truly fear that you or your loved one is not getting the care you need.

Dr. Assaad Sayah, chief of emergency medicine, Cambridge Health Alliance, Massachusetts

"I would start by saying to the triage nurse, 'I know that you are busy, and I need one minute of your time. My wife has been waiting for a long time, and her condition has gotten worse since we arrived.' Describe her worsening condition and say, 'I would really appreciate it if you could take a minute and look at her again.'

"This would work most of the time. If I got a hostile answer, I would ask to speak with the charge nurse or charge physician. If I felt like I was not getting anywhere, I would ask to speak with the administrator on call. The last resort is to call the hospital operator (dial 0 from the emergency department waiting room phone) and ask to page the patient advocate and hospital administrator. ... I would not use inappropriate or threatening language."

Dr. Jesse Pines, assistant professor of emergency medicine, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

"You could say, 'She's not acting right. This is not normal for her.' ... As your friend did, you can always try to drop a big name, like say you're friends with the president of the hospital. In general, if they think you're a VIP (even if you're not), you'll definitely get seen more quickly. ... Obnoxious real VIPs get the fastest service, while obnoxious wannabe VIP liars get the slowest service.

"A basic principle of medical care is that 'the squeaky wheel gets the grease.' I would recommend advocating on behalf of your spouse. It's uncomfortable that it has to be this way, but it works the same in any service business. The more you complain, the faster the service. But it's a fine line. Complaining can piss off the staff, so it's important not to go over the top. Family members who are too vocal are sometimes escorted out by security."

Dr. Joseph Guarisco, chief of emergency services at Ochsner Health System, Louisiana

"I would ask to speak with the Emergency Department director. If they weren't there, I would ask to speak with the charge nurse or shift supervisor. ... I would advise them that you think the patient has an 'emergency medical condition that should be evaluated right away.' Most of us in emergency medicine define the urgency in those terms and should be responsive.

"If you don't get a response, advise the individual in charge dispassionately and without confrontation, 'I understand you are busy, but I feel the patient will have a bad outcome if not seen right away.' If the person in charge was a nurse, ask to speak with the physician and repeat the same thing. If there's no response, further advise the individual in charge, 'I feel strongly about this and must call the administrator on call.' If no response, I would call the hospital administrator on call and advise him or her of those same concerns. And yes, name-dropping the administrator's name always helps. It should not. But if you truly feel the patient may suffer harm by not being seen right away, do it."

Dr. David Beiser, assistant professor of medicine, University of Chicago

"If you are concerned that a family member or friend is getting sicker while awaiting treatment in the Emergency Department, it's always reasonable to request that the triage nurse do a quick re-assessment of the patient. As far as invoking the threat of a letter to the CEO, that can trigger the 'VIP Care' response, which may save time, but also may expose the patient to increased risk by changing practice patterns. VIP treatment subverts the normal way we practice medicine and in my experience usually leads to medical errors. I have made my worst mistakes while treating friends, colleagues, and other VIPs. ... Belligerence, histrionics or requests for VIP treatment usually end up working against the doctor-patient relationship."

I read Pete Wilson's Blog daily and have featured him in several entries. His honesty (sometimes brutally) has inspired me personally on many occasions. I thought that you all might find inspiration as well.

"About a year ago God prompted me to the importance of how we use our money. Brandi and I have had several recent conversations about how we could better use our money to impact more people.

My wheels got turning about a year ago when I read the total income of American churchgoers is $5.2 trillion. That’s a lot of stinking money.  It would also just take a little over 1 % of the income of American Christians to lift the poorest one billion people in the world out of extreme poverty. Furthermore while American Christians make up only 5 percent of the church worldwide, we still control about half of the global Christian wealth.

I was convicted that I would sometimes stay up late trying to figure out how I could afford this or afford that, but rarely was I compelled to spend hours strategizing about how I could more effectively fund Kingdom ventures. Getting my financial world in order is not just about me getting rich… it’s about me making an impact in this world. Money certainly doesn’t solve all of our world’s problems, but it sure can make a difference when it’s managed well."

So I ask you, how are you managing your money?

I am hereby officially tendering

my resignation as an adult. I have

decided I would like to accept the

responsibilities of an 8 year-old again.

I want to go to McDonald’s and think

that it’s a four star restaurant.

I want to sail sticks across a fresh mud

puddle and make a sidewalk with rocks.

I want to think M&Ms are better than

money because you can eat them.

I want to lie under a big oak tree and

run a lemonade stand with my friends on

a hot summer’s day.

I want to return to a time when life was

simple; When all you knew were colors,

multiplication tables, and nursery

rhymes, but that didn’t bother you,

because you didn’t know what you

didn’t know and you didn’t care.

All you knew was to be happy because you were
blissfully unaware

of all the things that should make you worried or
upset.

I want to think the world is fair.

That everyone is honest and good.

I want to believe that anything is

possible. I want to be oblivious

to the complexities of life and be

overly excited by the little things

again.

I want to live simple again. I

don’t want my day to consist of

computer crashes, mountains of paperwork,

depressing news, how to survive more days

in the month than there is money in the

bank, doctor bills, gossip, illness,

and loss of loved ones.

I want to believe in the power of

smiles, hugs, a kind word, truth,

justice, peace, dreams, the imagination,

mankind, and making angels in the snow.

So . . . here’s my checkbook

and my car-keys, my credit card bills

and my 401K statements.

I am officially

resigning from adulthood.

And if you want to discuss this

further, you’ll have to catch me

first, cause……..

……”Tag! You’re it.”

Thanks to Nethugs.com

Everyone seems to be looking for a way to cut costs these days, even pet care costs. After all, with so many people losing their jobs, who can afford to spend money on expensive pet grooming or special foods? You want to make sure your pet has everything he needs, but you need to do it as cheaply as possible.

Learn to take care of simple grooming yourself. You don’t need to take your dog to the groomer to give him a bath. Some people even learn to clip their dogs’ nails themselves. Taking care of as much of your pet’s grooming as possible will make it easier to afford the things you can’t do.

Skip fancy foods. There are so many expensive dog foods out there that prey upon the idea that your dog deserves the best food available. The truth is, though, that your pet probably doesn’t need these expensive brands. If you’re concerned about what your pet needs, ask your vet. Unless your pet has special medical concerns, you may be able to get by with cheaper foods available at your favorite discount store.

Make cheap pet toys. Your dog will be happy pulling on a section of rope. Your cat will chase a string or sock around as long as you pull it along the floor. Just make sure that anything you use to play with your pets won’t fall apart in their mouths. You don’t want to create a hazardous situation for your pet.

Don’t skip regular veterinarian visits. It can be tempting to ignore your pet’s regular vet appointments to save money, but it can cost you in the long run. Heartworms, for instance, can be costly to treat and can be deadly to your pet.

Get pet medications online. If your pet needs medication regularly, you can order them online to save money. Whether your pet has a chronic illness, or you just need to order heartworm prevention medicine, you can be sure to get a discount by ordering it through the internet rather than purchasing it from your veterinarian.---Great article that I found the Not Made of Money Blog

America’s Best Idea – the national parks – gets even better this summer with three fee-free weekends at more than 100 national parks that usually charge entrance fees*.

Mark your calendars for fee-free weekends this summer:

• June 20-21, 2009 (Father’s Day weekend)
• July 18-19, 2009
• August 15-16, 2009

And to make the fun even more affordable, many national park concessioners are joining the National Park Service in welcoming visitors on this summer’s fee free weekends with the their own special offers.

Here’s a tip – many national parks never charge an entrance fee, so you can plan inexpensive visits year round!

For a list of family fun activities this summer, visit National Parks: The Place to Be for Family Fun.

What makes this so funny as Jennifer and I were just talking the other day that camping may be the only vacation that we will get to take with 3 children.  I have great memories of camping with my family. What about you guys?

EL DORADO COUNTY, CA - An increasing number of those who want to enjoy a few days of rest and relaxation are not headed out on luxury vacations. Travel experts say camping has become more popular and the hot new frugal choice for vacationers.

The sale of outdoor recreational gear is also on the rise. The outdoor specialty store REI said its sales were up 28 percent in April, compared to sales the year before.

The Edwards family of Sacramento was one of those families relaxing on a budget, trying the new trend out for the first time at Sly Park Recreation Area in El Dorado County.

"For our family, this is more economical," mom Sandra Edwards said. "It's close to home."

Sandra Edwards has six kids, and she estimated her entire weekend at Sly Park would cost her a couple hundred dollars. Edwards said she could never afford the take the entire family to Disneyland for the weekend, which she estimated could easily cost her family thousands of dollars.

Although sleeping in tents lacked the luxury of a four-star hotel, Edwards said the family had bonded throughout the weekend.

Sly Park Recreation Area workers said the phone in the reservation office had been ringing off the hook. They'd been receiving hundreds of phone calls a day. Workers also said Sly Park has about 200 camp sites, and every single one was booked throughout the Memorial day weekend.

The recreation area expected the same result for the July 4 holiday weekend.

I found this, this morning at Mommy Life and wanted to share it with you all.

MAGNOLIAS..........By Edna Ellison

I spent the week before my daughter's June wedding running last-minute trips to the caterer, florist, tuxedo shop, and the church about forty miles away.

As happy as I was that Patsy was marrying a good Christian young man, I felt laden with responsibilities as I watched my budget dwindle .

So many details, so many bills, and so little time. My son Jack was away at college, but he said he would be there to walk his younger sister down the aisle, taking the place of his dad who had died a few years before.

He teased Patsy, saying he'd wanted to give her away since she was about three years old!

To save money, I gathered blossoms from several friends who had large magnolia trees. Their luscious, creamy-white blooms and slick green leaves would make beautiful arrangements against the rich dark wood inside the church.

After the rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding, we banked the podium area and choir loft with magnolias. As we left just before midnight, I felt tired but satisfied this would be the best wedding any bride had ever had! The music, the ceremony, the reception - and especially the flowers - would be remembered for years.

The big day arrived - the busiest day of my life - and while her bridesmaids helped Patsy to dress, her fiance Tim walked with me to the sanctuary to do a final check.

When we opened the door and felt a rush of hot air, I almost fainted; and then I saw them - all the beautiful white flowers were black. Funeral black. An electrical storm during the night had knocked out the air conditioning system, and on that hot summer day, the flowers had wilted and died.

I panicked, knowing I didn't have time to drive back to our hometown, gather more flowers, and return in time for the wedding.

Tim turned to me. 'Edna, can you get more flowers? I'll throw away these dead ones and put fresh flowers in these arrangements.'

I mumbled, 'Sure,' as he be-bopped down the hall to put on his cuff links.

Alone in the large sanctuary, I looked up at the dark wooden beams in the arched ceiling. 'Lord,' I prayed, 'please help me. I don't know anyone in this town. Help me find someone willing to give me flowers - in a hurry!'

I scurried out praying for four things: the blessing of white magnolias, courage to find them in an unfamiliar yard, safety from any dog that may bite my leg, and a nice person who would not get out a shotgun when I asked to cut his tree to shreds.

As I left the church, I saw magnolia trees in the distance. I approached a house...No dog in sight. I knocked on the door and an older man answered. So far so good. No shotgun.. When I stated my plea the man beamed, 'I'd be happy to!'

He climbed a stepladder and cut large boughs and handed them down to me.
Minutes later, as I lifted the last armload into my car trunk, I said, 'Sir, you've made the mother of a bride happy today.'

'No, Ma'am,' he said. 'You don't understand what's happening here.'

'What?' I asked.

'You see, my wife of sixty-seven years died on Monday. On Tuesday I received friends at the funeral home, and on Wednesday. He paused. I saw tears welling up in his eyes. 'On Wednesday I buried her.' He looked away. 'On Thursday most of my out-of-town relatives went back home, and on Friday - yesterday - my children left.'

I nodded.

'This morning,' he continued, 'I was sitting in my den crying out loud. I miss her so much. For the last sixteen years, as her health got worse, she needed me. But now nobody needs me. This morning I cried, 'Who needs an eighty-six-year-old wore-out man? Nobody!' I began to cry louder.

'Nobody needs me!' About that time, you knocked, and said, 'Sir, I need you..'

I stood with my mouth open.

He asked, 'Are you an angel? The way the light shone around your head into my dark living room...'

I assured him I was no angel.

He smiled. 'Do you know what I was thinking when I handed you those magnolias?'

'No.'

'I decided I'm needed. My flowers are needed. Why, I might have a flower ministry! I could give them to everyone! Some caskets at the funeral home have no flowers. People need flowers at times like that and I have lots of them. They're all over the backyard! I can give them to hospitals, churches - all sorts of places. You know what I'm
going to do? I'm going to serve the Lord until the day He calls me home!'

I drove back to the church, filled with wonder. On Patsy's wedding day, if anyone had asked me to encourage someone who was hurting, I would have said, 'Forget it! It's my only daughter's wedding, for goodness' sake! There is no way I can minister to anyone today.'

But God found a way. Through dead flowers.

'Life is not the way it's supposed to be. It's the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference.'

 CANTON, Ga. -- On a recent afternoon, about a dozen Canton residents, mostly women, sat at a long cafeteria table and clipped thousands of coupons. "Coups for the Troops!!" laughed American Legion Auxiliary Post 45 President Jo Ann Agee.

The volunteers clip and snip current and recently expired coupons to send to military families at the bases overseas. They have adopted an Army Base in Ansbach, Germany where thousands of U.S. Military families are stationed. "Everyone uses coupons who lives overseas. When you first get to a base you have nothing but the clothes on your back. Your stuff takes 30 days to arrive if you're lucky. You have very little money to set up house, and the coupons are a godsend, said Michele Pierce, whose husband just retired from the Army.

She said the cost of living for military families stationed overseas can be prohibitive. "I know in Japan there was a story about a lady who was pregnant. She wanted a watermelon. It was $20.00 for just one watermelon!" she said.

Pierce said stores located on military bases will accept coupons that have expired up to 6 months ago. "Women use them very strategically there. If they have a $4.00 coupon for an item that costs $1.50, they can use what they call overage for $2.50 worth of meat to feed their family," she said.

Pierce said she is in frequent communication on the internet with her adopted families. "The base in Ansbach used close to 40 thousand dollars worth of coupons in one month alone. Forty thousand dollars they saved!" she said.

Auxiliary President Jo Ann Agee said she is honored to be able to help the military. "It's because of all they have done for us that we have the freedom to sit here and clip coupons," she said. We all get so busy in our day to day lives sometime people forget to think about our troops and their families they have to take care of."

To donate coupons, send them to

AMERICAN LEGION AUXILIARY POST 45
160 McCLURE ST,
CANTON, GA 30114
ATTENTION: OPERATION OVERSEAS COUPONS

To Adopt a Base: go to ocpnet.org

The American Legion Auxiliary says although military bases will accept coupons up to six months after their expiration date, they prefer only two month old coupons or current coupons because of the time it takes to process them.

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