Post Card from Alicia Womack - Mission's Trip

Alicia writes: "Dear Valley Grace Family, Thank you so much for your prayers and support for our ministry here in Chuuk. We are having a wonderful time building relationships with the children at camp. They are so engaged with the Bible stories. You have truly made an impact by sharing in the work of the gospel with me. God Bless."

Congratulations to Jesse Taylor & Cathy Rodger on their Engagement

Jesse & Cathy are planning a January 2008 wedding which will be officiated by Cathy's father here at Valley Grace.

Absolute Lunacy And Maybe Headed Your Way!

Colorado's governor, Bill Ritter recently signed Senate Bill 200 which expands “anti-discrimination” law to cover sexual orientation, meaning not only homosexuality or bisexuality, but also “transgender status or another person’s perception thereof.” It appears from the language of the bill that it would allow men to enter into women's restrooms, locker rooms and other public accommodations (and of course vice versa) if they feel that they are "transgender." There is no legal definition of what "transgender" is. It is a matter of self-identification which means you can't prove it or disprove it. Included in the bill are prohibitions of making anyone feel uncomfortable with their status or the appearance of discrimination. According to Ross Kaminsky, a company who advertises showing a traditional family as a graphic, could be sued by someone claiming that they were offended by this discrimination. So, some middle school or high school guy decides that today he is "transgender" he then can go into the girls locker room and attempt to shower with them without any discipline, and if anyone complains, they can be accused of discrimination. (You can read more from Ross Kaminsky here)

Congratulations to Jeremy Leatherman & Holly Shifler on their Engagement

Jeremy & Holly are planning an October wedding

Congratulations to Josh Miller & Lindsay Hicks on their Engagement!

Josh & Lindsay are planning a December wedding in Florida

Benefits to $4 Gas?!!

As many of you, I have been giving thought to the rise in energy and gasoline prices. Obviously, there are some serious concerns to families, and businesses, but there are also some benefits to higher gas prices. TIME magazine has an article entitled "10 Things You Can Like About $4 Gas". Here are a few of their observations:

1. Globalized Jobs return home = the cost of shipping is becoming so expensive that producing items oversees with cheaper labor costs and shipping to the US is causing companies to rethink their strategies - could be good for US job market
2. Sprawl Stalls = instead of building homes all over the farm lands, more people are going to choose to live closer to their work.
3. Four Day Work Weeks = companies are finding that they can save significantly on utilities an other expenses by going to a four day work week. This also has implications for telecommuting
   
4. Less Pollution = self explanatory
5. More Frugality = people are rethinking the "throw-away" society in which we live. They are becoming more intentional. I think this could also impact families making more intentional decisions about spending, sports involvement, doing more family things at home or close by rather than feeling the need for expensive entertainment.

Other benefits, according to TIME magazine - fewer traffic deaths, less traffic, and better health due to more walking.

What are your thoughts? What benefits do you see about more expensive gas (and energy). It is probably here to stay so we are going to need to learn how to live with it! You can leave a comment on this blog - (comments are moderated to keep out spam, so may take a bit for it to show up). By the way, if you wish to read the full TIME article, here is the link.

Two Men and Their Toys!

Thanks, Ray & John!