the Barber Shop

Christmas 2010

2010-12-20T13:53:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from the Barbers!! We pray that 2010 has been a year of blessings and growth for you. Since we didn’t send a letter out last year, we have a lot of catching up to do but will try to keep it brief. Remember - we've edited out all of the shortcomings, disappointments, fights, etc. of 2010, so we and our kids sound better than we actually are.

Brooke is in the fifth grade and is a joy to be around. She is very active in church, school, plays the piano, takes after her sister by participating in drama and is a big time Bama fan. She has a lot of friends, but her two best are the four-footed ones living under our roof - Ala and Bear. Brooke is developing a very caring and generous heart and enjoys corresponding with and praying for our Compassion International child Emma, who lives in Togo. Brooke is also preparing to go on a church mission trip with Susan to Belize in April. After a gum graft Brooke in October where she had some skin moved from the roof of her mouth onto her lower gum, she is now ready for braces. Perhaps by next year’s family picture you will see her silvery smile.

Brandon is a senior who decided to go the dual enrollment route this year (thank you HOPE scholarship) to finish out high school. He was captain of the cross country team this year but had a bit of a set back by dislocating his left shoulder three times since February. This led to arthroscopic surgery in late November to tighten up his ligaments and tendons, and he is now in rehab. Brandon’s biggest love continues to be playing the guitar (along with eating junk food and sleeping), and he leads worship in our church’s high school band. He recently purchased a ukulele to add to his ever-growing collection. Brandon has narrowed his college choices to Georgia Tech and Georgia State (he likes ATL and the idea of being close enough to come home for food and laundry), Alabama (Roll Tide) and Mississippi State (where Bethany attends).

Bethany is no longer a teenager, having turned 20 in November. She spent her first year out of high school in a gap year program called Impact360 (www.impact360.net) - a two semester program designed to teach students a Christian worldview, leadership skills and help prepare them for life on a secular campus. Of the 8 months, Bethany and her classmates spent one in Brazil doing missions work. Now, Bethany is a student at Mississippi State and loves being a Bulldog. She is majoring in math and hopes to teach in middle school or go on the mission field when she graduates. We will be celebrating our first Christmas without Bethany at home because she is in China for three weeks – what a wonderful opportunity for her!

Susan is in her third year of teaching high school English at a local high school. She also completed her Master’s Degree this year and has returned to work on her Specialist’s degree. If you have any questions on holistic grammar, she’s the one to ask. Susan continues to be the family cook, maid (okay – Scott’s being very nice with this one), nurse, taxi driver, etc. She has truly earned the nickname “Superwoman” which some of our friends affectionately call her.

Scott has just finished his 11^th year as a pastor at Crossroads Church and continues to love what he does. Through these eleven years God has slowly redirected Scott’s heart toward international missions, and the church has been gracious enough to allow his role to reflect that as well. Scott has been able to travel and minister in Brazil, India and Haiti this year.

Susan and Scott also finished a 20 hour training to prepare to become foster parents and are awaiting our home visit. We hope to have a child in our home near the first of 2011. With kids beginning to leave the house and the conviction brought on by James 1:27, we have felt led by the Lord to at least give this a try.

If any of you are coming through or near Atlanta, please stop in for a visit: we would love to see you and have plenty of room. You can also keep up with Susan, Scott, Bethany and Brandon on Facebook. And there are lots of pictures of Brooke there as well.

We are thankful that you are in our lives and wish you a Christ-filled Christmas. May the Savior’s birth and life be your and our focus this season and always.

40 Days of Water Challenge

2010-03-28T12:36:00.000-07:00

For those of you who know me well, two things are no surprise to you. First, I love coffee. For the past several years I have had coffee every day- multiple cups. Room 128 at Northgate is the Starbucks for the 100 South and 500 halls. Teachers and students are in and out all day getting their cup of joe. A good novel and a latte are a small slice of heaven on earth to me. Secondly, I am very spontaneous. Poor Scott has learned to live with this and is no longer surprised when I say things like "I just redeemed our frequent flyer miles for tickets to Italy" or "I think I'll run a marathon even though I can barely run 5 miles."

These two parts of me collided on February 15th when I read a blog encouraging people to make water their only beverage for 40 days in an effort to raise awareness for those in the world who don't have easy access to clean water and donate the money saved on beverages during that time for wells in Africa. As soon as I read this challenge, I instantly decided to do this. I never thought about how hard it would be- just an instant decision. Then I made the mistake of telling a couple of people, so I was for sure committed then since I have too much pride to go back on something I've said.

Day one was rough beyond belief. I got up and immediately went to the kitchen only to realize there was no brewed coffee. Scott had even unplugged my coffeepot - how thoughtful. I went to school, took the coffee pot in my room to the teacher's workroom, brewed coffee for them then went back to my room empty handed. When my students asked about coffee, I told them they'd have to find another hookup for 40 days. They laughed saying I'd never make it one day much less 40. I had a full body headache by 2:00 p.m. and couldn't think straight by 7:00. Days two and three were slightly better, but Scott even suggested that I might should have a cup or two instead of quitting cold turkey (this was self-defense strategy I think).

I finally adjusted and am so glad I stuck it out. Throughout the last 40 days, I've learned several things. First, what I think is a huge sacrifice, approximately 2 billion people in the world do not even have as an occassional treat - no coffee, no Cokes, no PowerAid, no alcohol or even sweet tea. These people drink water everyday of their life and often the water is not even clean. Second, while I was able to go to the sink to get my water whenever I wanted, most people in the world walk an average of 3 miles to get clean water. This job often goes to the children in families; I cannot image my sweet 10 year old having to walk 3 miles just to get one of life's necessaties. Third, I have abundant resources which could be helping people worldwide who do not have access to things that I take forgranted on a daily basis. Scott and I are becoming more and more convicted of our extravagant lifestyle while so many don't have their basic needs met. Is it right for Christians to live this way? What changes do we need to make in our life to free up more resources for those in need? Fourth, I need to position myself to think about the poor. The American media and culture rarely causes us to think of those who are hungry, orphaned, sick and in need. I am going to have to take the initiative to read about these global issues on my own. Finally, self discipline, though sometimes painful, is always beneficial.

So where does all of this leave me? I'm more aware of those in need and am more committed to helping them. I will cut back on other drinks in order to save money which can be used more wisely. I'll definitely be healthier. Brooke is planning on doing a 7 day water only challenge starting tomorrow. I am borrowing an idea from a friend and plan for our family to eat only beans and rice once a week in order to remember those who eat beans and rice everyday. Lastly, I'm praying that God will continue to open my eyes and heart to those who are less fortunate and guide me in my personal responsibility to them.

So, the next time you raise a glass of your favorite drink of choice, say a silent prayer for those who have no choices in what they eat or drink.

www.bloodwatermission.com

India

2010-03-16T18:10:00.000-07:00

I am writing early Tuesday morning from the Amsterdam airport. I am somewhere past the halfway point of a 3 flight 29 hour trek home after spending the last week in the city and villages surrounding Lucknow, U.P., India. (I’m very thankful for Delta Sky Miles today).

Before I share with you some of the specifics of the trip and its early effects on me, let me tell you about the driving in India. It is worth the trip to India alone for the experience of traveling on the roadways. I had heard that it was the worst in the world, but descriptions by others did not do due diligence. I know my descriptions won’t either. Lucknow is a city of 3 million people and I think there are about 3 traffic lights. There appear to be no rules of the road although the nationals assure me there are. Three lanes of roadway are typically occupied by seven travelers. This is no exaggeration. By travelers I mean cows (they are sacred so no one moves them), dogs, pedestrians (yes in the road, not crossing the road), bicycles, rickshaws (combination of bike and taxi), taxis (three-wheeled vehicles with a carriage), cars, trucks and buses. No one uses a side view mirror because the space they occupy is more valuable than being able to see behind. If you are a bumper in front of another driver it seems you have the right of way and you simply veer in whichever direction you wish with a simple honk of the horn. Oh, the horns. There is a constant honking sound to alert other travelers that you are approaching or to tell someone to get out of the way. Horns are not used in anger but are simply part of the art of driving. Amazingly I never saw an accident that caused traffic to stop. During one of our trips a taxi honked and moved over into our lane, clipping the left front of our vehicle. Neither driver stopped or yelled or showed any type of road rage. The whole thing I think is a kind of sport. I looked forward each day to being a spectator in these games. Now on to more important matters……,

I traveled with a team of 13 other church and missions leaders. We learned a tremendous mount about the people, practices, prejudices and the faith of the people of India. Most of it is really, really bad. This is a country of nearly 1.2 billion people (4 times the population of the US in an area equivalent to the US east of the Mississippi). Over 250 million of these people are considered Untouchables and are looked upon by most of their society as being lower than the animals. These untouchables or Dalits are the people we primarily met with, visited in their “homes” and villages, and worshipped with. They are beautiful people in desperate need of hope and love. They believe, as do most Indians, that they were not created by God like the rest of the population. They are not even included in the caste system. I understand that when the death totals were reported from India after the Tsunami that the Dalits were not included in the numbers because they don’t count. After all, they didn’t count any of the other animals. Writing these things brings tears to my eyes as I reflect on the gross injustices being done to real people that I have met this week. A sad reality is that most of us have no idea that this type of injustice exists in India. The primary reason is that the Indian media, controlled by upper castes, does not let the information out.

Despite the hate and injustice, there is good news for the Dalits. Because they have been treated like dirt for centuries some of them are leaving Hinduism. Those who are leaving are turning to Jesus in incredible numbers. Christianity teaches them that God is their Creator, that they were created in His image and that He loves them more than they can imagine. Churches are literally being started every day across India. Yet because of the enormous population, Christianity accounts for less than .1% of the people in the northern part of the country where we were.

The reason we were on this trip was to meet and train pastors (most who are Dalits), visit in Dalit schools (which exist for the first time in history because of the investment of Christians around the world), and learn about how children and pastors can be sponsored and supported. As we visited in the villages we were encouraged to touch the Dalits on the shoulder, shake their hands and smile. I wanted to hug them all, but this would have been a cultural taboo, not to mention that most of the Dalits have never been touched by a person outside their group of Untouchables.

I also had the privilege to train some of the pastors on the life of Christ and to speak in two of their churches. I was asked to speak the first night we were there. Because of the very short notice, I opted to teach an abbreviated version of the message I had just spoken at Crossroads Church the weekend before. (If you are interested in hearing you can listen in at http://crossroadsnewnan.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=124&Itemid=206. Sunday morning I spoke from Ephesians 2:10 at one of the Indian churches and shared with them that they were masterpieces created by the Perfect Artist and that God has a plan for each of their lives. I pray that if they hear it enough they will begin to see themselves the way God does.

Before I went to India others told me that it is like nowhere else on earth and that I would be forever changed by the experience. I haven’t traveled the whole earth but India is certainly unique among the places I have been. In addition to the horrible treatment of the Dalits (actually a part of it), India has millions of homeless people, huge numbers of children working in fields and brickyards and as beggars and prostitutes. Many more are sold into the sex trade business. We heard about how many families “lose” their aged mothers and grandmothers in a crowd of people so they will not have to care for them any longer. We also learned of cannibals and child sacrifice that is done in the country. The level of sin and evil is incomprehensible.

So how did it all affect me? I think and hope in several ways. I have heard that if you don’t act on the things that challenge you in life within 3 days that you will likely never act. This is one reason I am writing my thoughts so quickly, before I may have even processed it all.

Whenever I have the privilege to serve the poor or abused I must come face to face with the abundance of wealth and opportunity I have as an America. I can say what I want about the economy or the costs of putting 2 kids through college at the same time, but the reality is that I have it so very easy. I hope that my heart is continuing to grow in gratefulness for what I have and in responsibility to share it and my life with those who don’t.

If you are interested in learning more or in helping the Dalits of India you can visit www.dalitnetwork.org or email me and I can pass some information along.

2009 Reflections

2009-12-31T07:18:00.001-08:00

Wow - I haven't blogged in forever and should really return somewhat regularly to this since I love to write. Here are my thoughts from 2009:

1. God is stirring in my heart a desire to know more and care more for the oppressed and less fortunate. This encompasses several groups of people from the poor to orphans as well as people suffering with disease without medicine and those who are victims of social injustice. Our response will be to continue to educate ourselves on these worldwide issues (often difficult since the American media chooses not to focus on them) and begin the process to become foster parents.

"You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; You encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more." Psalm 10:17-18

2. God is calling me to live a more radical lifestyle in terms of how we use both our resources of time and money and how I choose to use my mind learning about His Word and the world.

"If anyone would come after me, He must deny himself and take up hiscross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lost it but whoever loses his life for me will find it.What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?" Matthew 16:24-26

3. Raising children is a short season of life. With our oldest graduating high school and moving out of the house this fall, we have a newfound perspective on how little time we have to build into our children. I pray that I will continue to build wisely into the ones at home and transition well into a new stage of parenting with Bethany.

"Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children are a reward from Him." Psalm 127:3

4. My whole life - at home, my job, our neighborhood - should be about influencing others for Christ. If my life does not reflect Christ and people cannot see a difference in me, I am living for the wrong things.

"Do everything without grumbling or complaining so that you may become blameless and pure children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the Word of life."Philippians 2:14-16

5. The power of words can be amazing in another person's life. What a gift I have to be able to use words to invest in others. I have seen firsthand God transform lives this year ultimately through His Spirit but also because of someone's obedience to speak the right words. My life has often been marked by wrong words, but I am trying to be more concious of the words I choose.

"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, 'Your God reigns.'" Isaiah 52:7

My life has been incredibly blessed in 2009 with God for some reason choosing to show favor on our family this year. I pray that I will never lose sight that all blessings come from Him. My prayer for your family as well as my own is that 2010 will be a year marked by our faith in God regardless of the circumstances life my bring us and we will have intimate fellowship with our Maker.

Happy New Year!

Susan

Blizzard 09

2009-03-01T11:32:00.000-08:00

sweat equity

2009-02-28T09:46:00.000-08:00

History is Made Today

2009-01-20T17:28:00.001-08:00

I was fortunate enough to be able to watch the inauguration ceremony today and felt extremely proud to be an American. How many countries have a peaceable exchange of power and the freedom to vote for our leaders? I am also extremely proud to be in a country where a black man has risen to the highest office in our country when just 100 years ago we were still wrestling with slavery. I have been in prayer this weekend and throughout the day for our new president and will continue to do so throughout his administration. My vote is irrelevant at this point, and I choose to obey the Lord and pray for our country and our leaders. I am also thankful to have had a president for the last eight years that is a man of character who has a soft heart to toward the Lord. I think he's getting a bad rap right now, and history will remember him more favorably than he is spoken of now. God bless America!

Less Baseball This Year

2009-01-11T08:16:00.000-08:00

It's been a few years since I won the Crossroads women's fantasy league and retired from fantasy baseball (even though I'm still bragging about it), but I have continued to enjoy baseball. I've been frustrated over the past few years though with players always moving; it makes following a team not as enjoyable and even difficult. I understand all of the reasons, but from a fan's point of view it's disheartening. This week though was a major blow to Braves fans. It's hard to believe that Smoltz will no longer be with the Braves.

Anniversary Trip

2009-01-03T16:46:00.000-08:00

We thought these were a great bargain on craigslist but ended up being the worst deal we've ever gotten.

Listening to a jazz band while sipping on our drinks (we're the only people in the Big Easy drinking water and Coke).

Yummy!!!

Scotch (how our friends in Brazil pronounce his name) on Bourbon.

The most enjoyable part of our time in the Superdome. (Scott was in the bathroom crying during this part).

A quick drive to the beach. Hurricane damage is still evident.

What can be worse than Alabama being destroyed and Brandon not able to get his license because his selfish parents were out of town, driving through a hail storm on the way home.

We did have a good time and some laughs in spite of all of this.

Bear is here!

2009-01-01T06:21:00.000-08:00

Bear moved in yesterday and is doing great. He missed his mom last night, but he's off to a good start today.

Scott and I also got a delayed Christmas/anniversary gift thanks to craigslist. More on that in the next post.

Happy New Year to all!

Out Little Artist

2008-12-30T18:13:00.000-08:00

Brooke made several gifts for us this year. My favorite is the reindeer wreath; I love it!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T17:34:00.001-08:00

We're wishing everyone a merry Christmas and hope you've had some time to reflect on God's love for you.

Having been convicted this year about helping the poor, we decided to celebrate Christmas a little differently this year. After speaking with a few friends, we came up with a few ideas. I had also come across a movement last year among some believers and churches that was along the lines of what we were feeling. Check out www.adventconspiracy.com for more details. So how was the Barber Christmas different? First, we have limited the amount of presents. Honestly, all five of us have more than we need. We did have some gifts, but this was not the focus. (I found a free dog for Brooke; see the picture below). Second, we gave each other a gift that did not require money. Brandon gave his grandmother the gift of doing some computer work and instruction for her; Scott is cooking dinner once a week for me in January, etc. This was a lot of fun and very meaningful. Finally, Scott and I gave each of the kids some money for them to use to help the poor. We gave a few options like www.worldvision.com and www.dalitfreedomnetwork.org on how to spend their money. We're praying that they, and we, will grow in our desire to help those who have less.

Our prayer is that all of us will focus less on ourselves and more on those in need. Please pray for us as we struggle with what this looks like in our daily life.

2008-12-24T18:52:00.000-08:00

Just in case you were out of the loop, the two oldest Barber children are kinda the bomb.... they even have some killer pj's

Brooke and Ala

2008-12-16T18:01:00.000-08:00

Christmas Elves

2008-12-16T17:57:00.000-08:00

The Christmas elves have started their baking at the Barber house . . .

Bethany's 18!

2008-11-26T07:30:00.000-08:00

Bethany turns 18 today! Can you believe it? We went to Maggiano's yesterday to celebrate. We'll be hanging out today- Starbucks, more Heroes, etc.

Back to Blogging

2008-11-25T19:01:00.000-08:00

I'm returning to blogging after a three month break. I gave myself permission to let some things go when I went back to teaching and planned to slowly add them back to my life. August- (I never gave it up) cook dinner every night after work. September- running four times a week. October- cleaning my house (okay, I haven't mastered this yet). November- blogging. This is a great week to resume blogging. Tomorrow is a big day at the Barber house . . .

Heroes

2008-11-25T18:51:00.000-08:00

Since we're off for the week, we've resumed watching Heroes. Thanks to the writer's strike last year, we'll be able to watch all of the second season this week. We love this show! The basic theme is some people are given abilities and have to make the choice to use them for good or not so good. It makes me think of friends I know who have chosen to do extraordinary things with their life- like my brother-in-law and sister-in-law and our friends the Haldemans who foster children. Or our friend who left a good paying job in corporate America to go in the ministry (for not so good pay but many other benefits). We're blessed to have many friends doing amazing things. I'm always questioning whether I'm using my not so extraordinary gifts for selfish or selfless reasons. I think I'll always be asking this question in my journey.

Roll Tide

2008-09-28T09:53:00.000-07:00

How 'bout them dawgs?

2008-09-07T13:28:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have not yet heard, this past Monday (Labor Day, September 1st), we lost a very important member of the Barber family. After 12 years as a Barber, Bama passed away. He was a great dog, and well loved by all the family.

Since Bama passed, we have also added a new member to our family. Yesterday (Saturday, September 6th) we got a new puppy. Ala is a lab mix and approximately 6 weeks old.

She is a very people-friendly dog, and she's adopted to the family very well!

My Summer Reading List

2008-07-17T11:03:00.000-07:00

I'm always having people ask what I read so here goes. I must preface this post by saying that during the summer I primarily read for entertainment and primarily read fiction. I usually don't read "churchy" type books. So here's what I've read this summer.

The Poisonwood Bible- Kingsolver (just felt like I needed to read it)
Ethan Fromme- Wharton (character development at its best)
Playing for Pizza- Grisham (I love Italy)
Christ the Lord Out of Egypt- Rice (extremely curious)
Remember Me- Kinsella (I always read some pop culture novel on the NYTimes best seller list)
Keeping Faith- Picoult (recommended by a friend)
Unchristian- Kinniman and Lyons (the only non-fiction)

2008-07-16T15:40:00.000-07:00

On the week of the Fourth of July I went on a mission trip to Staten Island. Our team worked with Crossroads Church Staten Island. For two days we painted public schools. The church paints schools so that the schools may be more open to letting them have Sunday services in their buildings. The team also helped with an outreach event on the boardwalk that they hold every year on the Fourth of July. We handed out flyers for four days to promote the event then helped run the event. A band from our church in Newnan came and played some classic rock music while our team and members of the church in Staten Island told people about the church.

Fourth of July in Atlanta

2008-07-05T08:16:00.000-07:00

More Vacation Pics

2008-06-05T05:51:00.000-07:00

California

2008-06-04T09:35:00.000-07:00

principals award

2008-05-20T16:26:00.000-07:00

Today was the 2nd grade award ceremony. Brooke and her friend Spencer received the Principal's Award for all A's, not being absent than 3 times,not being tardy more than 10 times and perfect conduct.
And the picture above is the principal giving brooke her award .
by Brooke
I'll put a picture of my teacher Mrs. Brim tomorrow.

You're never too young to give

2008-05-11T07:53:00.000-07:00

After months of letting her hair grow to a 10 inch pony tail, Brooke got her hair cut off yesterday. She donated her ponytail to Locks of Love which will make use it to make wigs for children. Over the last few years, we have struggled with why we have so much while others are in great need and tried to figure out ways as a family to help those in need. We are very proud of Brooke for using her limited resources as an 8 year old to help those who are in need.

www.locksoflove.org

Prom Night

2008-05-05T12:12:00.000-07:00

Can you believe that Bethany bought her prom dress for $5 on a clearance rack at JCPenny? She looks great and had a lot of fun at the prom. One of the moms who is a caterer cooked filet mignon for them with all the fancy fixins. They had a great time and proved that you don't have to spend hundreds of dollars to have a good evening. We had about 20 kids over after the prom for an after prom party. Bethany recovered in a day; it took Scott and I about three days to get back to normal. I'd never want to go back to the high school days again but to have that energy. . .

A peek into Brooke's life

2008-04-23T14:49:00.000-07:00

It's been a rough week for Brooke. Last Thursday she had three teeth pulled then yesterday we thought she had broken some bones in her hand after a desk fell on it at the end of the schoolday. Fortunately, the x-ray came back good, but she's looking pretty beat up now. She's been a trooper.

Spring Break 08

2008-04-12T17:04:00.000-07:00

So now that you've been filled in on what's going on in the kids life, it's time to write about the Barber's spring break. The begining of the week turned out to be much like winter break - sleeping, playing guitar, watching tv, even a little bit of studying. On Thursday we embarked on our journey to - drum roll please - Alabama. We came mostly to visit with family, however, I must admit, there was a side motive.... The David Crowder Band.... phew, now that I've got that off my chest I'll tell you about the concert. It was held at Samford University, where my mother went to school - EXCITING! *cough* So anyways, the concert was pretty grand, though, rather than staffing the event with college students - the logical approach - they called in the fun police. Every usher looked pretty much the same: white shirt, black pants, white poofy hair, and wrinkles. Throughout the entire concert the 70 year old women were walking around kicking people out of the "pit" and the aisles. Aside from the fun police, the concert was great. Crowder is a great entertainer and, for lack of a better term, a goof-ball. He used various instruments including the keytar and a guitar hero controler. He wasn't kidding when he said he had too much spare time on the road....

Then on Friday we visited with my dad's brother's family. Sometime in the afternoon my mother and my aunt accompanied all of the kids on a hike through the woods and then an unexpected swim. The water was quite chilly, though it was still fun getting to goof around with my cousins.

Loafing around, jamming at Crowder, and chilly water all made this spring break one to remember!

bethany

A peek into Bethany's life

2008-04-12T16:31:00.000-07:00

Now I know that as all of you were reading the blog about Brandon there were many questions that you had. Some of these may have been "Who is that kid?" "Was Scott like that when he was a child?" or possibly even "Does he realize that it's 2008, not 1988?" Well, I'm afraid I can't answer any of those questions for you, but I know there had to be one more questiong lingering in your minds - "What about Bethany?!?!?" Thankfully, your answer has arrived!

As many of you know, there are really only two school related activities which occupy most of my time - swimming and theatre. I suppose I'll start with swimming.... Last Monday (March 31) we had the Northgate swim team 07-08 banquet. It was a very nice banquet and we had some very yummy mexican food - I even managed not to look like a complete slob while eating! Though I had to dress up, not a common activity of mine, I had a lot of fun getting to hang out with the team one last time. I have to admit, it was pretty sad seeing all of our great seniors leave :(

And now for theatre.... Last Tuesday (April 1), the Backstage Players (Northgate's theatre group) put on a performance of student directed shows. The program included 2 skits, 2 songs, and 3 monologues. I directed a scene from Truman Capote's novel In Cold Blood (an absolutely splendid book I would highly recomend) which is about two men who murder an average family of four in Kansas. The scene I chose was the interrogation of the two murderers. I had a little difficulty in casting, considering the cast was made up of 6 men and the Northgate theatre department is prodominately women. After casting the show with 3 guys and 3 girls (2 of which were acting as men), one of my actors fell through, so I ended up performing (as a man) in my own scene. I must say, though the process was very frustrating with losing cast members and show dates constantly changing, it was a great experience for me and gave me a better understanding for directing.... oh and I learned how to be a man! Haha

Well, that's all I have for now.... iHasta luego!

by bethany

Student Athlete of the Week

2008-03-30T13:03:00.000-07:00

Brandon's made it to the big time now and is student athlete of the week. His picture was in the Newnan paper today. I was tipped off when several people at church today were telling us they had seen him; so we stopped on the way home to buy a paper and sure enough- he's in there. He is dedicated to running and runs almost daily. His work is paying off.

A Peek into Brandon's World

2008-03-29T13:08:00.000-07:00

Brandon has decided to bring tube socks back into style. Between the socks and the hippie poncho, he's got quite the fashion sense.

The Abraham Lincoln egg is a project he had to do for Spanish (Eggraham Lincoln). They emptied the egg and designed it any way they chose. I'm sure it says something about him that he chose Lincoln, but I have no idea what.

Mathfest

2008-03-29T12:47:00.000-07:00

Brooke participated in Mathfest today- a math competition in the Atlanta area. Eighteen second graders from her school were chosen based on preliminary testing. Brooke made it through the first round where seventy-five students out of 350ish moved into a more intense testing time. She lasted fifteen questions in that round before being eliminated. She must have gotten her math smarts from me.

Easter 2008

2008-03-23T17:29:00.000-07:00

"God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact." Acts 2:32

Our prayer is that all of you spent the day celebrating the resurrection of our Lord!

Dan in Real Life, Emotions, and the Resurrection

2008-03-20T03:24:00.001-07:00

Scott and I watched "Dan in Real Life" this past Monday (Scott's birthday- funny how birthdays change when you're older- we were lucky to squeeze in a movie in the basement to celebrate). This movie was a great reminder to me of how life takes you by suprise sometimes. Dan had his life planned out and lived it accordingly. Suddenly, he is caught off guard with unexpected emotions which derail his plans (and others). I won't offer a spoiler here, but Dan allows himself to be caught up in his emotions and his life is changed for the better.

Scott and I are planners- facts, figures, numbers, logic, pros and cons- you get the idea. Emotions are difficult to factor into decision making. We have made some wise decisions based on facts- driving used cars, living on a budget and being debt-free, moving into the Northgate school district, etc. We have also made some decisions where emotions were a large factor- Scott and I both working at Crossroads Church, one of my closest friends being an Auburn fan with an engineering degree, going to Italy for vacation, etc.

My thoughts for Easter also fall along these lines. Our faith and beliefs so often fall into the logical catagory because we have lived that way for so long and sometimes fail to be emotional with our faith. So this Easter, let's be caught up in the excitement we have in being in a relationship with a God Who is alive and concerned with our lives. Search your soul to see if you're excited about what God is doing in your life. Have conversations with friends about the implications of a risen Lord. Let your emotions carry your further than only facts can.

Track Season

2008-03-19T05:40:00.000-07:00

Brandon ran an 11:40 in the 3200 (2 miles) yesterday to win his first high school JV meet. Bethany was there to see him, but we missed it as we were having dinner with friends. He celebrated by going to Sonic and eating junk food. We're still amazed that he can be so fast on the track and move in slow motion around the house.

If you're local and looking for a race, you should think about the Race for Riley. This race is family-friendly and a great fundraiser!
Check out this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_cT8c1GSrA

(Notice Brandon is the "L" at the beginning).

Brooke's Birthday

2008-03-15T07:53:00.000-07:00

Brooke celebrated her 8th birthday this week. Her birthday fell on Tuesday. Unfortunately, Scott and I were on staff retreat and were not here on her actual birthday. She did get to spend the day, however, with her grandmother. We had a birthday party on Friday since school was out. The girls watched a movie, had makeovers (this is the after photo), and had lunch at our house. We had a great time. Her other grandmother is coming up today to celebrate her and Scott's birthday (Monday). It's hard to believe our little girl is eight!!!

COOKIES

2008-03-02T13:54:00.001-08:00

Today's the day that we've all been waiting for- the Girl Scout cookies are here.

Brooke and I picked them up and sorted them. Then before she and Bethany went to deliver some to the neighbors, the moment was here. We opened a box of Tagalongs (my favorite) and each had one. YUM! It's a good thing I only ordered one box of those. Brooke sold 87 boxes this year- not bad for her first year as a Brownie!

Access Retreat

2008-02-21T11:05:00.000-08:00

As mentioned in the previous blog, Brandon and I were on a retreat with the High School ministry earlier this week. I figured that since I haven't blogged here yet, this would be a good way to start!

Se left the church around 1 p.m. on Monday and arrived at Covecrest (the place we were staying) around 4 p.m. We had a couple of hours to explore the place before we had dinner, so we ran around in the woods and took pictures.Then we had dinner followed by our first teaching session. Later that night, we played capture the flag and then went to bed.

Tuesday when we woke up we had an hour to spend for a quiet time: a time for us to spend alone with God. After that we had breakfast and our second teaching session. Then we had a while to take a blank canvas and create a piece of art that described where we thought we were spiritually at that time, our "now." This was a very unique way of expressing ourselves and praising God. After we finnished (though hardly anyone had really finnished, we just had run out of time) our artwork, we ate lunch and then headed out for the ropes courses. There was both a low ropes and a high ropes course, and we began with the low ropes. The low ropes course consisted of several challenges where we had to work together with our team to complete. In this picture the guys are trying to follow a large cable that is attached to several trees (without anyone touching the ground the entire time). After we completed the low ropes course, we moved onto the high ropes which had a zip line, rock wall and an obsical course which was suspended several feet. When we had finnished both the high and low rope courses, we came back and got ready for dinner and our third teaching session. Later that night we had a bon fire and then went to bed.

Wednesday morning was pretty much the same as Tuesday morning: we woke up, had our quiet time, ate breakfast, and had a teaching session. After the last teaching session we packed up the bus and came home.

Over all it was a great trip where God was able to really speak to us and grow our youth group closer together.

-Bethany

School's out for . . . Winter???

2008-02-21T10:17:00.000-08:00

The kids are on break this week, and this pretty much sums up what they've been doing. Actually, Bethany and Brandon were on a mini-retreat from Monday through Wednesday. Brooke has been sick but fortunately does not have the flu or strep. (Yes, that is a giant remote in the picture. If you know Scott, he often loses things. This is hard to lose). Bethany is sleeping and writing a paper for AP lit. Brandon has been running in the rain this morning (a popular Barber saying is "If it's not raining, it's not training." Of course, I usually say this while sitting in my pjs by the fire sipping coffee) and playing the guitar. (He's currently playing the piano. It's all LOUD). I have been working this week but only went into the office on Tuesday. I may go in tomorrow for a little while. (Don't feel too sorry for me as I just spent nine days in Italy). We were going to go to AL for the day tomorrow but will have to pass since Brooke still has a fever.

Mother/Daughter Tea

2008-02-10T14:38:00.001-08:00

The tea was great and the food was great but the best part was having fun and seeing friends.We learned tea maners.The bedrooms were beautiful.There were a lot of buetiful american girl dolls.My favorite type of food was the petitfore( pet a for). I loved the tea and I would like to go to another tea.

by Brooke Barber

Italy Wrap Up

2008-02-10T14:10:00.000-08:00

Here are some final thoughts from our trip in no particular oder:

We are very blessed to live in the United States. Our country is a powerhouse in many ways- even in a recession. However, history proves that no country has ever withstood the test of time. Empires comes and go. . . .

We have literally traveled all over the world and never cease to be amazed at how God reveals Himself through nature. This first picture is taken from our plane as we flew over the Alps.

I could eat pizza and gelatto everyday for the rest of my life!! Honestly!

There's a lot of talk in the church today about "reclaiming the arts." To see what some of the churches and artwork that we saw adds a whole new meaning to this phrase. These artists built huge cathedrals, painted, and scuplted as their worship to God. It was amazing!

We are very thankful for the believers that have gone before us. Visiting the jail cell of Peter and Paul and imagining them there was very sombering. It was dark and dreary even in a cleaned up state. On the wall was a list of Christians with the way they died written beside them- strangulation, decapatation, starvation, etc. To walk through the catacombs and see carved symbols of a fish, dove, olive branch, etc. and think of all of the believers who were buried outside of the city becuase they were not allowed to be buried within the city was also thought provoking.

National Signing Day (and last day in Rome)

2008-02-07T09:34:00.000-08:00

Pantheon- around 5 A.D. (The original building burned, and this one was rebuilt then)

Part of the Roman forum- around 500 b.c.

2008 A.D.

I know it was yesterday and most of you have no idea what the heck I'm talking about, but Alabama football has finally given me something to celebrate - the number 1 recruiting class in the country. On to Rome...

Today was our last day (sigh) and it was a good one. We got to see some pretty cool Christian sights including the prison that held Peter and Paul (I almost typed Saint there) and the actual chains that bound Peter while he was in prison. We also visited the catacombs where thousands of early Christians were buried. It really makes us appreciate those who went before us to spread the Good News.

We visited the largest Piazza in Rome, the Piazza Novona and had more gellato (it never gets old) on the Spanish Steps.

Rick, thanks for the coffee explantion. Susan will continue to drink capp. whenever she wants. And thanks Tracie Orr for helping Bethany with her nose. Hope she doesn't look like Marcia Brady.

It's been fun staying connected while we traveled. thanks for reading and posting. When you wake up in the morning we will be in the air. See you guys soon.

Scott and Susan

Vatican City

2008-02-06T07:10:00.000-08:00

Today was our day to meet the Pope. And we did- with 7,000 others. We were very disappointed that he didn't wear his big hat, but he did bless us (we think) and our family members. Scott was compelled by the homily (see pic).

We also went to the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's today. We are probably in sculpture overload at this point. We are not, however, in gellato overload and had more while sitting on the Spanish Steps.

We plan to go to the University tonight and eat more pizza (yummy).

Yes, Bill, you're correct. I suppose they are just "shoes" and not "Italian shoes." I'm a completely self-absorbed American.

Sorry for the images not being upright. We can't read Italian and don't know how to rotate them.

Also, thanks Bethany. I'll pass the info on to dad. He's just trying to be uber-cool.

Top Ten Ways to tell we're American

2008-02-05T08:56:00.000-08:00

10- We don't wear all black every day.
9- We actually look before stepping into oncoming traffic.
8- We don't have a cigarette hanging from our mouth.
7- Susan drinks cappiccunios after lunch (no Italian would ever do this).
6- We begin every conversation with "English?"
5- We're wearing tennis shoes not $300 dollar Italian shoes.
4- We can finish a meal in under an hour.
3- Every five minutes we say, "Wow- that's really old."
2- We can be found laughing at famous works of art.
1- Scott is listening to the Super Bowl at 2:00 a.m. via the internet.

Super Tuesday in Rome

2008-02-05T08:26:00.000-08:00

Sorry we were unable to post yesterday. Our hotel room in Rome doesn't have internet like we had in Florence. Today we went to ancient Rome and saw the sites - the Colosseum, the Forum, Paletine Hill and the Pantheon. We also went to the Trevi Fountain which is not ancient but still older than our country. Lastly, we went to our own Piazza, the Piazza Barberini. (We're one step ahead of you, Bill.) Tomorrow we go to see the Pope (for real.) Still having fun, can't believe how fast time is going.

One last thing, props to our daughter Bethany who we just found out made the national honor society. We'll celebrate when we get home. We're proud of you!

Scott

Super Sunday

2008-02-03T13:42:00.000-08:00

It has been a super Sunday, but no Super Bowl for me this year - only super sculptures. We saw the famous one today - David. I'll be honest, it was quite impressive. It had to be about 15 feet tall and tremendously detailed. A little too detailed in some places. I must also confess I'd rather be watching Brady and Manning battle it out. Thanks for rubbing salt in my wound, Bill. Actually I found a place here in Florence that will be carrying the Super Bowl at 12:16 am here. It is called The Red Garter - I decided to pass.

Another highlight of the day was our first experience with Gelato. As much as I love Bruster's and American ice cream in general, there is no comparision. It is worth the trip.

Tomorrow it is off to Rome. We'll check in again from there.

Scott

Cinque Terre and Pisa

2008-02-02T13:02:00.001-08:00

Today was our busiest day that we'll have the entire trip, and it was great. We left on the 7:51 train to Cinque Terre. We debated because of the length of the trip (about 2.5-3 hours each way) and the weather. It was pouring rain when we left and when we arrived in the last of the five cities. Fortunately, as we made our way to the trailhead, the rain let up, and we had a relatively dry day. We decided to hike the cities in reverse order. We consider ourselves in decent shape, but this was a moderate to difficult hike (as you can see from Scott's pic). No, we did fine, but I may not be able to get out of bed in the morning. It was essentially like being on the stairmaster for 3 straight hours. The views were amazing and well worth our efforts. We ended the day with a quick stop in Pisa (on the route home anyway). Seeing the tower was something else. I wondered how impressive a leaning tower could be, but it is quite impressive. Tomorrow- more naked art in Florence (Scott's insisting on it).

from the home of David (the statue)

2008-02-01T12:57:00.000-08:00

As you can see, we made it to Florence. BTW, this is Scott posting the second blog of my life (#1 was from New Zealand).

After taking the train from Assisi we checked in at the hotel, walked the streets, went to the Ufizzi (i know everyone knows what this is but just in case we have any uncultured readers it is a famous museum of mostly naked paintings and sculptures). After the first room everything looked pretty much exactly the same, but we can say we've been and are now 20 euros lighter in the wallet.

After Ufizzi we went out for some good pasta at a little restaurant. They sat all the Americans in the same section which was kind of strange.

Tomorrow we will hike the Cinque Terre in the rain (you can see this on Susan's map - isn't she great). In case you didn't know we've been married 20 years. She is reading over my shoulder.

Chow for now,

Scott

at the home of st. francis

2008-02-01T02:23:00.000-08:00

We made it to Italy and

journeyed to Assisi by train. We were pretty worn out yesterday and only managed to stay up until about 8. We woke up during the night and had a little trouble going back to sleep but should be fine by tomorrow morning. We spent yesterday exploring Assisi which we absolutely loved; it's exactly how I imagined Italy. We went to the bascillica today which was amazing. We're catching the train to Florence and will be there mid-afternoon. Hope all of you are well. We'll post again sometime in Florence. We're there through Monday morning.

The Itenary

2008-01-30T07:44:00.000-08:00

Here's what we're planning. Of course, plans are subject to change.

Jan. 30- fly out late afternoon

Jan. 31- arrive in Rome in the morning and take the train to Assisi. We'll spend the night there.

Feb. 1- take the train to Florence. We have a reversation at the Uffizi late afternoon.

Feb. 2- up in the air. My dream is to do a long day trip to Cinque Terre. I really want to hike the cities. We'll see how tired we are and what the weather is like. If that doesn't work out, we'll go to Pisa and Lucca.

Feb. 3- morning reservations at the Academia. The rest of the day is for Florence (or Pisa if we don't go on Saturday).

Feb. 4- finish Florence and take the train to Rome. Eat pizza that night!!

Feb. 5- Ancient Rome, Spanish Steps, Piazzas, Trevini Fountain, etc.

Feb. 6th- Vatican City, possible afternoon trip to Ostia Antica

Feb. 7th- Christian walking tour-catacombs, Paul's tomb, etc. University, whatever is left

Feb. 8th- fly home

So that's it. We'll see what happens. We'll post when we can. Arrivederci!

Governor's Honor Nominee!

2008-01-29T18:06:00.000-08:00

Bethany interview for Governor's Honors Program this past weekend. Ten rising juniors and seniors are chosen from each high school to interview. Students are nominated by teachers and must meet strict academic standards and show leadership abilities. To be nominated is an honor! We attended a county wide breakfast last week honoring the 30 students in the county who were nominated. She survived the interviews (very nerve wracking) and will find out the end of March if she's chosen. We are very proud of her regardless of the outcome! Good job, Bethany!

blizzard of 08

2008-01-27T14:21:00.000-08:00

There's nothing like snow in the South. Kroger sells out of milk, bread, and pork rinds, every church in the city of Atlanta is cancelled, and my favorite- the redneck sleds. Tupperware lids, boogie boards, whatever you can find to go down a hill covered with 1/4 inch of snow is considered a sled. We had a great day playing in it!