Audra Jennings

If I were to look outside on this New Year's Eve, I just might see the neighbors trying to pull this off in the sky. Someone around here has some legit fireworks they are shooting off. I'm trying to be nice and not call the police on them.  It may indeed be a long night given their early start. As for me, I crawling into bed early. I am beat. My big exciting NYE included going for an eye exam this morning where the doctor was running late it seems from the get go. I swear, if I get COVID, it's from sitting in a waiting room.  With my eyes dilated, I did venture out to Whataburger and back home. I slept off the dilation because I couldn't do anything on the computer and really watching TV was a bit off.  If this doesn't sound like an exciting day, just hold on to your horses! I was expecting some packages, and I think the mail came at least three times today. When I awoke from my nap, I had an email about a delivery. Why delivery people don't knock or ring the do...

This seems like a really minor thing, but after I got my Christmas tree put away, I arranged my built-ins. So what?  Well, from the time I moved in last year until right before Christmas, these shelves mostly housed Reader's Digest books for craft purposes, and quite frankly, I was tired of it.  We've sold so many now that last year we didn't move as many blanks out of our stockpile as we had hoped, then without doing any craft shows whatsoever this year, I sure didn't move any.  I did pull some off for dad to cut in the summer, just in case, but well, that was really just to give him something to do.  I put these into a closet, and pulled the paperbacks stored in the closet and put in my other bookshelves in the living room. I also rearranged the furniture in the living room, and my bet is that I move it back like it was really soon.  When I moved in, I couldn't quite figure out how to arrange the room, so I put my couch diagonally in the room, parallel to the ...

Click here to request a digital review copy or use the form at the end of this post. A friend feels rejected. A counselee is angry. A church member’s child is ill. You want to help, but where do you begin? Author and counselor Michael R. Emlet outlines a model of one-another ministry based on how God sees and loves his people primarily as saints, while bringing comfort to the sufferer, and faithfully speaking truth to the sinner. Filled with everyday illustrations as well as counseling examples, Emlet demonstrates what it looks like to approach fellow believers simultaneously as saints, sufferers, and sinners. Emlet unpacks Scripture and draws on his many years of counseling experience to help counselors, pastors, and friends love others wisely and well. As part of CCEF’s Helping the Helper series, this guide for ministry provides an overall f...

I had to go back to the archives again this week. Maybe I'll have more new videos soon, but with COVID spreading, our classes keep getting cancelled. I’ve Got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy By George W. Cooke I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy Down in my heart, Down in my heart,  Down in my heart, I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy Down in my heart,  Down in my heart to stay. Chorus And I’m so happy, so very happy I’ve got the love of Jesus in my heart,  Down in my heart, And I’m so happy, so very happy, I’ve got the love of Jesus in my heart. I’ve got the love of Jesus, love of Jesus  Down in my heart, Down in my heart,  down in my heart, I’ve got the love of Jesus, love of Jesus  Down in my heart,  Down in my heart to stay. Chorus   I’ve got the peace that passes understanding  Down in my heart, Down in my heart,  Down in my heart, I’ve got the peace that passes understanding ...

Last night, I came in from Mom and Dad's house looking forward to watching the Call the Midwife Christmas special, but quite literally could not keep my eyes open to watch it. I fell out asleep on the couch for a couple of hours. When I awoke, I immediately regretted all that I ate. That King Ranch casserole , Old Mexican Inn orange dip , and sopapilla cheesecake were all good, but I overdid it.  Believe it or not, I do not have photos of the casserole or the cheesecake that I made, but I did cook! Speaking of cooking, I did cook tonight. I've been off my cooking schedule the past week or so. I skipped my EveryPlate box this week and am still cooking on last week's.  People in the EveryPlate Facebook groups were complaining about how bland the chicken option was. I didn't find the steak version bland. I found I put too much fresh thyme in it. What I did think is that there weren't enough veggies. It had a whole onion (so there was a lot of onion), one carrot, and ...

Merry Christmas! It was a pretty quiet Christmas this year at my parents' house. See all those big stockings I made a few years ago that got stretched out even more with all the stuff that's usually in them? They were even stuffed this year. That's how quiet it was. In a different year like 2020, that's just how it was. We, however, were stuffed with   King Ranch casserole ,  Old Mexican Inn orange dip , Fiesta Grill salsa and more sweets than I've had in a year. Dad picked up a chocolate pecan pie at Collin Street Bakery (which we got into last night), and Mom made a pound cake (that didn't get touched) and no bake cookies. I had planned to make  sopapilla cheesecake  and almost didn't make it after all the other stuff got made, but that's what the five of us devoured. For lunch and opening presents, it was just Mom, Dad, Brian (my brother), Amanda (my sister-in-law), and I. These are all of the really lame and borderline blurry pictures I got. Actually...

Christmas Eve was about as uneventful as it could get. Not even a photo to share.  After some morning chores and straightening my hair which has kind of become a special occasion, I headed over to my parents' house by noon.  In years past, there would have normally been a discussion about if anything was on at the movies. Dad asked a day or two ago if I knew what was on, but I said I wasn't so sure the theater was even open in town. When I drove by one night, it looked closed. We're not eating out in restaurants currently, so there was no going anywhere after discussing who was and wasn't open until what time.  We did go to Golden Chick for fried chicken. Unless you call corn nuggets festive... What I did do was dig out a couple of decks of cards and made my dad play Canasta. He doesn't exactly love to play, but since he normally spends his days playing some form or another of solitaire on the computer, he played. The way I beat him, he may not play with me again.  ...

Part 1 of an interview with Terry Brennan, Author of Ottoman Dominion Ottoman Dominion, the final volume of the Empires of Armageddon trilogy, will have fans of Joel Rosenberg, Ronie Kendig, and Frank Peretti on the edge of their seats up to the final page. Terry Brennan believes readers of Ishmael Covenant and Persian Betrayal will be surprised by how the series ends with. “There are cliff-hangers at the end of the first two novels of the series, and I wanted to be faithful to the first two in completing the third. So, while I believe the ending of Ottoman Dominion will bring about a satisfactory conclusion to both the novel and the series, I would be very surprised if any of the readers are able to predict the ending. I didn’t figure it out myself until halfway through writing the third book.” But even more than an action-packed tale of international intrigue, there is something else that Brennan hopes readers find in these pages. While we aren’t likely to face forces of evil qu...

How incredibly shocking can tonight's finale be? Not very in my estimation.  Ben came back to tell her that he loved her. He's never felt like this for a woman before.  Yet, there's a reason why Tayshia sent him home.  Let's just pause for a moment to talk about how ludicrous it is that these people fall in love with the person they were supposed to fall in love with during this short time, especially this season.  Back to Tayshia. She wants to know why Ben told everyone else (basically, just Chris Harrison) that he was in love but wouldn't tell her. (Actually, he told his family friend on the hometown.) She wish she had heard it sooner because she was almost there.  Tayshia says he can come to the rose ceremony, but she's got enough on her plate.  When seeing him on his way, she kissed him, then asks herself why she did that.  Well, Tayshia, you see, it's because you have been kissing everyone for weeks. The rose ceremony... Ivan arrives.  Zack ...

Of course, I didn't get my act together to start on time tonight, but at least my local ABC affiliate is back on DirecTV and can watch it without any weird internet glitches. Hallelujah, it's a Christmas miracle.  Tonight is the first of two nights wrapping up the season. Fantasy suites and meeting Tayshia's family.  She is coming off the high of "hometowns," but feeling the anxiety of the final stretch.  Zac points out how awkward it is to be around Brendan and Ivan now. Brendan talks about not wanting things to go bad again since he's had one divorce.  Tayshia talks with JoJo. There are positives but hesitations with all three. She does think she could fall in love with more than one person.  JoJo says it gets harder with overnights. She took all of her relationships to a higher level, but gave her some clearer pictures too.  Chris Harrison goes to talk to the guys. He hands out the first date card. Zac seems to be acting kind of the jerk today. Just comi...