Family Times

Fun in the Snow

2010-01-31T19:49:00.003-05:00

TJ Catches The "BIG ONE"

2009-06-09T09:28:00.005-05:00

This is the first of many fish he will be catching in the future.

Memorial Day 2009

2009-05-25T20:16:00.005-05:00

Today, we went to the State Capitol to celebrate Memorial Day. What a humbling and sobering experience. We are thankful for those who have paid the ultimate price for our freedoms. They will never be forgotten!

Piano Recital

2009-04-27T20:52:00.002-05:00

Yesterday TJ had a piano recital in which he played two songs by memory. He did a wonderful job and we are very proud of him and his hard work in preparing. As you can see he is in the picture, he is in deep concentration as he makes his way through one of the songs.

A. W. Tozer Quote

2009-01-25T16:30:00.006-05:00

I am reading again, a wonderful book by A. W. Tozer entitled, "The Knowledge of the Holy." I highly recommend it to you as part of your reading diet. I was moved by Tozer's comments from chapter 13 entitled, "The Divine Transcendence." In it he states,

"When men no longer fear God, they transgress His laws without hesitation. The fear of consequences is no deterrent when the fear of God is gone."

How sobering and relevant in our day!

Christmas Decorations

2008-12-23T13:03:00.005-05:00

Most every year we take the kids out to view Christmas decorations. One stop we always make is to see a house that "goes all out" every year. Each year it seems the homeowner adds something different to the collection. They also have a snow machine that makes snow along the front of the yard.

Simple Christmas Wishes

2008-12-07T15:52:00.005-05:00

And you just thought you needed something else for Christmas...

Annual Gingerbread House Competition

2008-11-30T17:45:00.009-05:00

On Saturday night we held our annual Gingerbread House competition. This has been a tradition for four or five years now, and the creations are quite interesting. The rivalry can become quite intense as one designer looks to intimidate the other. It is hilarious! You can see for yourself. Their is video added for fun!

Christmas Fun

2008-11-29T11:12:00.006-05:00

For the first time in some time we decorated for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. It is still so much fun watching TJ and Ellie get out the decorations and place them on the tree at just the right place.

Ellie's Thanksgiving Day Riding Lesson

2008-11-27T11:51:00.007-05:00

Just because it is Thanksgiving does not mean you cannot enjoy a good riding lesson. And she is Thankful for it!

TJ Turns Nine!

2008-11-20T21:35:00.003-05:00

Today is TJ's birthday. He is nine years old. What a special little boy who is slowly...or should I say rapidly, growing up. He is very dear to his family.

Fun at the Fair!

2008-10-20T21:01:00.002-05:00

Look Mom and Dad...No Training Wheels!

2008-09-22T20:43:00.002-05:00

Over the weekend, Ellie suddenly started riding her bicycle with no training wheels. It seemingly happened over night. Go Ellie Go!!

No Explanation Needed...

2008-06-07T20:11:00.000-05:00

Memorial Day

2008-05-30T08:15:00.002-05:00

On Memorial Day, TJ and I spent part of the day at the Capitol Building in Raleigh. Every year their is a celebration and recognition of those who have paid the "ultimate sacrifice" on behalf of our nation. I am always humbled by the veterans we see each year. They are true heroes!

Mothers Day 2008

2008-05-11T19:50:00.003-05:00

Today is Mothers Day. My children just happen to have the greatest Mother in the world. I am so proud of her and humbled by the example she sets for me and our children. Our children are her life and she has invested her life in them. This is a picture of three of our five kids. Missing are Jennie and Katie who live out of town.

What is the Gospel...John, Hillary and Barack?

2008-04-13T20:56:00.004-05:00

This evening I listened to a program online sponsored by CNN called, "Faith and Politics." One theme that is constant from all of the Presidential candidates is the continual confusion over what the gospel is. Not that they have ever been asked what the gospel is, but the prevailing definition of the gospel among the candidates is that of a "social" gospel which is no gospel at all. The gospel is not taking care of the poor and eliminating social injustice although that is how it is defined among the candidates. While feeding the poor and calling for social justice is admirable and should be desired it is not the gospel, but a result of a life changed and transformed by real gospel. Good works are a result of saving faith, not a prerequisite for saving faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). So, what is that gospel? 1 Corinthians 15 makes it abundantly clear what the gospel is:

15:1 Now I would remind you, brothers, [1] of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

This clip from John Piper also helps us to understand what the real gospel is.

Ken Jones Discusses Jeremiah Wright and Others

2008-04-05T11:16:00.004-05:00

I have been waiting for some time for a response by Ken Jones to recent comments by Barack Obama's pastor, Jeremiah Wright. Ken Jones is a pastor and participant on one of my favorite radio programs, "The White Horse Inn." I appreciate his perspective on the controversial comments by Wright and how Jones relates them to scripture and the focus of the cross in preaching. Listen in at the link below...

http://kimriddlebarger.squarespace.com/

The Prosperity Gospel

2008-03-30T15:34:00.001-05:00

John Piper accurately details the problems with the deception of the prosperity gospel.

Our Church Family At Christmas

2007-12-23T22:01:00.000-05:00

Today, our church family celebrated the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ together. Along with the children, we shared the Christmas story together from Luke 2 and sang Christmas carols. What wonderful friends these people are to my family and we appreciate them so very much! We always love sharing Christmas with them.

Christmas Cookies

2007-12-21T22:39:00.000-05:00

Today, Julie and the kids baked sugar cookies, peanut butter balls and other goodies for Christmas. It is a Christmas tradition for us and the kids enjoy it every year.

Decorating the ChristmasTree

2007-12-02T21:34:00.001-05:00

Today we spent the afternoon decorating for Christmas. We put up the tree and also decorated most of the house as we usually do each Christmas. TJ and Ellie had a ball playing with the ornaments before they placed them on the tree. We had a ball just watching their excitement. They make us all feel like kids again.

Annual Ginger Bread House Contest

2007-11-25T19:14:00.001-05:00

On Saturday, we held our annual Ginger Bread house competition. This has become great fun for the kids every year in preparation for Christmas. I must say that it has become more and more competitive each year too.
**Click on picture for larger view**

Swim Lessons

2007-08-04T09:25:00.000-05:00

TJ and Ellie recently completed swim lessons at Campbell University. As I write this entry I am reminded of a very close call TJ had a couple of years ago when he slipped and fell into a pool. He could not swim and unless I had been outside to see it happen and snatch him out of the water, it would have been tragic. I still tremble at the thoughts of that day. I will never forget it. At least now, maybe they are a little more confident in water and have some grasp of what to do in situations like that.

Way To Go Katie!!

2007-06-25T19:52:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Katie for making the Dean's List at UNCG. We are so very proud of you!! Great job!!!!!!!

**Click on document to read text**

Kids and Summer!

2007-06-23T10:59:00.001-05:00

Mothers Day 2007

2007-05-19T14:20:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Mother's Day today as all our children were home together. Pictured is a proud mother and her precious children.

TJ's Piano Recital

2007-04-22T17:09:00.000-05:00

TJ participated in his first piano recital today. He has been taking lessons from David Carson, a long time friend of our family, since January of 2007. TJ looks forward to his lessons each week and enjoys the time in practice as well. He did a great job today and we are very proud of him. Congratulations TJ!!

Away With The Training Wheels

2007-04-15T15:50:00.000-05:00

TJ just recently began riding his bike without the help of training wheels. It just seems to have happened overnight too. One day he is needing the assistance of wheels and the next day he is riding without them.

Easter Fun

2007-04-07T16:25:00.000-05:00

We had a ball at the Easter Egg hunt at Granddaddy Billy and Aunt Judy's house today. As you can see in the picture the kids used toy metal detectors to hunt their Easter Eggs. The kids placed blind folds over their eyes and hunted for the eggs that were filled with change. As they got close to the eggs the metal detectors began to buzz telling them they had found their prize. The parents and kids had a blast!!

Christmas Fun!!

2006-11-27T20:48:00.000-05:00

We had a blast creating Ginger Bread houses again this Christmas. Last year was our first ever event with our kids. This year it was even more fun as you can tell in the pictures. Julie bought every imaginable candy to decorate with. I guess in all it took about two hours to complete them because everyone was so creative in decorating. These are memories that last for ever.

TJ Turns Seven!!

2006-11-21T19:38:00.000-05:00

Happy birthday to our one and only little man...TJ! TJ turned seven years old on November 20th. We thank the Lord for blessing our family with such a precious little guy!

TJ The Woodworker

2006-11-19T17:40:00.000-05:00

TJ recently helped me sand and prep our front door for painting. He has become quite proficient with the palm sander. What a helper he is and always willing.

Pa Pa DD's Birthday!!

2006-10-07T19:52:00.000-05:00

On October 5th we celebrated dad's birthday, He is better known as "Pa Pa DD by TJ and Ellie. He is very special to them as you can see in the pictures. Happy Birthday!!

Katie Turns Twenty

2006-10-01T19:29:00.000-05:00

On September 10th we all celebrated Katie's 20th birthday! What a treasure she has been to all of us these past twenty years. She is a sweetheart to all of us!!! We love you Katie!!!

At the Zoo!!

2006-06-25T15:35:00.000-05:00

Recently, we took TJ and Ellie to the NC Zoo and I am not talking about the one at our home!! We left on a Sunday night and stayed in a hotel in Asheboro. This was TJ and Ellie's first stay in a hotel and they certainly were excited. I learned a valuable lesson from them that it is not always the big and better that often generate the most excitement but the small things in life like a simple one night stay in a hotel with mom and dad. A lesson learned! We spent the following day at the zoo and TJ and Ellie had a blast to say the least. It was a mild 75 degree day so all the large animals were out and about and quite visible. A good day for pictures too!

Jennie Graduates From College!!

2006-05-26T23:34:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to our daughter Jennie Dickens Harrell. She graduated today from Southeastern College at Wake Forest. She has worked so very hard to get to this point and we are so proud of her. We Love You Jennie! (Click on picture for a larger view)

Snake Handling!!

2006-05-18T21:20:00.000-05:00

TJ found and captured this beauty of a snake recently. We both observed one of our cats (Rosebud) hovering over something in the side yard and as we approached we realized it was a snake. We have found very few snakes in our yard over the years but on occasion we see one slithering around. As you can see TJ wanted to keep this one to observe it for a while. As best we can tell it is a Kingsnake.

At the Museum!

2006-05-01T16:42:00.000-05:00

Today, we spent the afternoon at the NC Life and Science Museum in Raleigh. I must say the museum has been updated quite a bit since I was there last. They have done a very nice job with the updates...even improving upon the hoax and myth of how we all came from an original "big bang" and evolved from something that looked like and un-cooked egg (don't blame me I did not draw the picture.) Anyway, if their was a "big bang" God made it happen!! I also noticed their is no alternative to the "false" theory of Evolution as that would cause you to ask to many questions and make you "think" which would do us all a lot of good instead of accepting a false theory just because it is taught and "they must know." Give me a break!

I have also included a picture of the same Dinosaur we recently saw walking down Hwy 401 just south of Raleigh about two months ago. He evolved too except from a much larger un-cooked egg! I am glad they finally caught that thing!!!

Anyway, we did enjoy our visit...especially TJ and Ellie! They are a joy to be with!!!

Lawn Mower Man!

2006-04-08T16:41:00.000-05:00

Today is a great day at the Dickens. TJ has accomplished a milestone in that he drove the lawn mower by himself for the first time. As you can see in the pictures he is behind the wheel with Ellie behind him! And yes, the lawn mower is moving. I see this from a different set of eyes however. I picture TJ happily mowing the grass so I do not have to. What a day of rejoicing that will be!!

Celebrating 25 Years!

2006-03-25T17:02:00.000-05:00

It is hard to believe that twenty five years ago I married the precious lady standing beside me in the picture. The truly amazing thing is Julie has continued to stand beside me after all these years. I married much, much better than I am deserving of! The picture was taken on our anniversary which was March 14th. We had just returned home from having dinner together at the Angus Barn in Raleigh.

Visit From A Friend

2006-02-21T20:45:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday we were treated to a visit from our long time family friend Lynn Fields also known as LA LA to the Dickens family. Lynn has been such a part of our family for so long that when she comes to visit it is like a family member dropping in. Lynn and her husband Eldon live in Spring Hill, Tennessee and as you can see in the pictures have a precious daughter named MacKenzie. Is she a doll or what? Lynn and her dear family are a perfect example of God's faithfulness in answering prayer. Lynn prayed for a wonderful husband and baby for so long and God was so gracious to answer her prayers.

Shootin Hoops!

2006-02-02T22:39:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago TJ began playing Upward Basketball at a local church in the area. It has been a blast for all of us. He plays every Saturday morning at around 8 am. He practices with the rest of his team for about fifteen minutes and then they have a real game. He tries so hard but has a difficult time shooting the ball hard enough for it to reach the goal each time. He is getting better however. We recently purchased him an ajustable basketball goal, and as he has practiced he has gotten stronger and made several baskets on his own. His dribbling has gotten much better too! I am not sure but I think he is being scouted by some local college teams!

Big Helpers!

2006-01-07T22:30:00.000-05:00

TJ and Ellie recently joined me in the office at church. Many times when Julie is in a class or teaching at church, she will drop by the office in order for me to see TJ and Ellie before she goes home. It is always a bright spot in my day. They usually rush in the office with big hugs and kisses. What more could a dad ask for!

New Years With The Frinks

2006-01-01T23:12:00.000-05:00

Today we spent the afternoon with some our very closest friends, Jim and Dawn Frink. They have been very close to me and Julie for many, many years and we always enjoy our time with them. It has been a tradition over the last several years to spend time with them either at their house or ours on News Years Day. Today, Dawn served up a great lunch for our family and we enjoyed a wonderful afternoon with dear people who are actually more like family than friends. Pictured are Lewis Frink (hands on TJ's shoulders) and Jill Frink (pink shirt.)
Pictured above is Julie and her dear friend Dawn and me and Jim.

Eating Again!

2005-12-27T22:32:00.000-05:00

One of the great things about spending time together at Christmas is the opportunity to sit down and eat together too! As you can see, this group has eaten about all they can and are actually stuck in their seats. Josh (in the red shirt with Katie) actually stayed in the same chair for about one hour because he could not move! I can't believe I ate the whole thing!

Toboggans Anyone?

2005-12-27T22:05:00.000-05:00

Everyone in this picture will certainly have warm heads in preparation for winter! They each got a different hat for Christmas!

Christmas Eve at Dustin and Jennie's

2005-12-27T17:44:00.000-05:00

We spent part of the afternoon on Christmas Eve with Dustin and Jennie at their home in Wake Forest, NC. Jennie prepared a great meal for all of our family and we opened gifts together. In the picture they are looking at footage from a digital camera. They are all laughing so it probably was me (dad) they were looking at. I usually get that kind of response!

More Christmas Fun!

2005-12-27T17:34:00.000-05:00

Me-Me paid TJ and Ellie an early visit on Christmas Eve and surprised them both with new bicycles. What a surprise that was to them and they loved them (me-me too of course.) They have been riding almost everyday since they got them. Thanks Me-Me!!!

More Christmas Fun!

2005-12-18T16:44:00.000-05:00

I caught these pictures of TJ and Ellie playing together on TJ's train set. Julie built the train track for TJ so it would surround the Christmas tree (not holiday tree) and make it more fun to watch. TJ's favorite Thomas the Train Engine car is Percy as you can see in the picture.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree!

2005-12-05T21:22:00.000-05:00

We put up our Christmas tree tonight. This is always a special event at our home. It has been a tradition for many years beginning with our oldest kids and now passed on to the younger children, to put up the Christmas tree together. TJ and Ellie were so much fun to watch as they played with the ornaments before placing them on the tree. That is an excitment that a child seems to never forget no matter how old they are. I helped Mom and Emily too and we were able to get the entire tree decorated in one evening. Not always an easy thing to do! MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Christmas Fun!

2005-11-28T18:14:00.000-05:00

One tradition at our house is to build and decorate Ginger Bread houses each year. We have been doing this for many years. Julie cooks the dough in order to prepare the houses and then all of our kids spend 2-3 hours decorating the houses with everything from m&ms and peppermints to "snaps" which are a type of pretzel to other candies. This Christmas season, Jennie and Dustin, Katie and her friend, Josh, TJ, Ellie, and Emily all took the challenge of decorating two houses. Dustin and Jennie took the one they decorated to their home in Wake Forest. We had a great time eating "junk" while lavishly decorating these ginger bread houses. They really turned out quite nice as you can see in the pictures.

Birthday Party

2005-11-25T18:21:00.000-05:00

On November 20th, TJ celebrated his sixth birthday. We had a great party at our home for TJ and several of his friends. He had a great time and it was fun watching him along with all of his friends playing together. It has been a fast six years and also a good six years. He is a dear little guy to all of us in our family and we love him very much!

Symphony Visit

2005-11-12T21:31:00.000-05:00

Today, TJ and myself visited the NC Symphony in Raleigh. They were offering a concert to parents and their kids that helps kids better understand the make-up of the orchestra and what the different sections of the symphony are. TJ also had the opportunity to make his own instrument just prior to the performance. There were different tables set up in the lobby where kids could make home-made instruments to keep. TJ made a percussion instrument. It was very enjoyable and TJ really liked it too. The homeschool group we are a part of (Classical Conversations) bought tickets together and met at the Memorial Auditorium for the event. It was narrated by David Hartman, who was if you remember, the former host of Good Morning America many years ago. I remember him back in the early 70s when I was in junior high. After the event we went to America's restaurant, MacDonalds and had lunch together.

Everything is "Upward" for TJ!

2005-11-07T21:29:00.000-05:00

Tonight TJ went to his first meeting about playing Upward Basketball this fall and Winter. He had a great time! When we arrived at the church we got a brief introduction to the Upwards Basketball program and then TJ was fit for his uniform, measured to see how tall he is, and also went through an evaluation to see how his skills measure up. He had to dribble the ball through a maze, shoot baskets and display his running abilities. He did great! I think he is really going to enjoy this. Afterwards we went to Chick-fil-a together. He always enjoys going there and so do I. What a great little guy!

Early Christmas Music

2005-11-05T10:46:00.000-05:00

This morning I left home at 4:30 to take two friends of mine to the airport in Raleigh. They left on a missions trip to Bangladesh and will be away for two weeks or so. They will be working with new church plants among the native people there. What an opportunity! Interesting enough on the way back home at approximately 6:30 am I was flipping around on the radio and what do my listening ears hear? Christmas music! It is November 5th and already...Christmas music! Now do not get me wrong...I am not complaining in the least. I love Christmas music. My family loves Christmas music...my kids love Christmas music. I am always surprised every year at how early the radio stations will actually crank out the great festive songs! There is something about it for sure! It brings back good memories of my childhood when Christmas was such a special event in my home. I hope I have passed that along to my chldren! By the way, the picture you see is one I just ran up on and thought you would like to see my youngest two...Ellie and TJ!

Introduction

2005-11-04T20:31:00.000-05:00

Greetings!