Changing...

You know the old saying, "Nobody likes change except a wet baby..." has a lot of truth to it. Change is tough. Change wears on the mind and body. Change is hard...but also a necessity. The seasons change. Our hairstyles change ( I know, losing the 80's look was especially hard for me!). Our relationships change. Our tastes in food and many other things change. I even look at our girls. They change almost weekly...not just their favorite friend or hobby, but their little minds and bodies change constantly. And not just because they are female, but because they are growing, learning, and maturing. In this new year, I have one thing on my mind- channeling their changes through the Word of God. I want to take my mothering, mentoring, discipling to the next level with our three little daughters of Eve. I pray for grace to nurture, love, discipline, persuade, and train them to be "polished cornerstones in the king's palace..." None of this will happen without the empowering of the Holy Spirit in me.

Another word about change- every year when I pack up our Christmas decorations, I find myself wondering where I'll unpack them next Christmas. See, that's the thing about change. Once you get used to it, it's not so bad.

Happy New Year! May the changes the sovereign Lord brings across your way this year serve to make you more like Him and more dependent on Him.

Let's glorify God and enjoy Him even more in 2007!

LT

The Nativity Story

The highlight of our Christmas weekend was when we took the family to see The Nativity Story. It was a movie that brought tears to the eyes (and down the cheeks) and joy flooded our hearts!
We have been talking about it ever since. Watching the birth of Christ and the ridicule and scorn that befell Mary and Joseph and the holiness and humbleness they portrayed was, in a word, worshipful. We sat and worshiped... go see it, take the whole family- buy the DVD, too! It will make your soul sing "Joy to the World" not just at the annual Christmas Eve service, but the whole year through! His birth gives us hope for the New Year. Ironically, the entire world keeps time by the birth of our King. Hallelujah, what a Savior! I'll leave you with a line from the movie-

the three kings come to the place where the Babe lay and they present him with the three gifts-

Here's the gist of what they say..."gold, for the King of Kings; frankincense, for our great High Priest; and myrrh, for the greatest sacrifice that will be for all time."

soli Deo gloria!

LT

Vamos!

Well, since I made you cry with the last post, here's a funny one. Little Miss Abigail is quite the social butterfly. She will meet a new friend in every elevator, restuarant, hotel and store we visit. It takes only a few seconds for her to flash those big blues and make one of her infamous "faces" and boom, a new friend. Language seems to be no barrier for Abigail either! She is picking up on some Spanish...either from our stint in central California or our frequent visits to El Charro (the next best thing to Monterrey's). There was one small hitch on Saturday...

Abigail (and her shadow) walk up to two little sisters speaking spanish. She walks up and cooly, calmly joins in the conversation saying, "Vamos!" They look at one another, stunned, maybe even offended. Abigail says again, "Vamos!" (accent and all!) The sisters take off running. Rachel (always looking for a good thing to tattle) comes running to me and says, "Mommy, I think Abigail is being rude in spanish!" For my "no habla espanol amigos, "vamos" means "Go! Go!" Abigail has ALOT more Spanish (and friend-making etiquette)to learn and so many friends yet to meet. We'll work on it!

On a more theological note, this week is "Thankful Hearts Week" at the Thornleys! No complaints, no "I wish..." statements... only "I'm thankful for..." and "Thank you Lord's..." and "Thanks, mom and dad..."will be counted up. Their only "job" this week is to see how many thankful things they can say and record on their charts!

On a historical note... we've been learning about the First Thanksgiving. It's interesting to note that Squanto, the famous Indian who befriended the Pilgrims was actually converted to Christianity during his stay at a monastery in Spain. He was sent there as a slave, but heard the gospel and came to faith in Christ. He was released and returned to America to find his entire tribe desimated. All he ever had was gone. But... he had Christ. This is why he reached out in love and befriended those so much different than himself. This is why he told other tribes about his newfound faith. This is why he was drawn to the Pilgrims. They all served the one, true God. This is the greatest thing they thanked God for so many years ago. Another interesting tidbit... Squanto invited many Indians, from other tribes, to join in the feast. They came reluctantly but they witnessed Christ in the lives of so many on that day. Oh the stories of God's sovereignty, His protection, His grace, His love, His preservation that must have been heard that afternoon. And thank goodness, Squanto was there to interpret the testimonies! God is sovereign!

soli Deo gloria...sola fide...sola Christo...sola scriptura...sola gratia...

This is how America's story began...I'm so thankful to celebrate this American holiday because it is truly a Holy-Day for Christians.

Blessings for your Thanksgiving...from our home to yours,

LT (from all the pilgrims and indians at our house)

A Time to Remember...

This past Saturday was an opportunity to visit Arlington National Cemetery. We were blessed to go with friends from McGuire AFB (the Cady's) and lay flowers on the grave of Claire's father and brother-in-law. The girls were respectful and happy to lay their roses by each marker. Rachel, however, saved a rose... she asked me to follow her around a corner to talk and she wanted me to lean down to hear her whisper. As tears filled her little hazel eyes, she asked me if she could save that flower to put on her birth mother's grave (aka "Miss Tania"). She asked very politely and humbly if we could go there now so she could put this rose there. Whew- you could have knocked me over with a feather. Tears flowed down my cheek and Andy came over to see what was up with the two of us. By this time, she is in my arms, sobbing so sadly, and clinging to my neck, rose in hand. I whispered to him what she had just said and then there were three of us... standing on this sacred ground, we were overcome with emotion. Holding her little broken heart, I promised her that one day, we will go and find Miss Tania's grave and we will put the biggest, most beautiful flowers we can find by her marker. We will honor her...her life, her sacrifice and her legacy, and we will...
It took a while for Rachel's tears to subside. She said, "I just miss her." We were happy to report that we will see her again in heaven one day. Rachel seemed soothed at those words and soon that precious moment was gone. Many of you know Rachel, and you know that Rachel has spunk, but for a few minutes on Saturday, she showed a special side- a broken, tender, sweet heart that only the Lord can heal. I thank God for our little Rachel and the tender heart that He is weaving in her. May God give us grace to raise her (and her sisters) to bring Him glory...

LT

Who are those caped crusaders?

Super heroes OR partners in crime???





















Sweet Sarah as a "Renaissance Princess"...



















Happy Reformation Day! LT

Fall in the Commonwealth...

Time is marching on and it's hard to believe that the holidays are approaching. Life here is at warp speed and it seems hard to find time to enjoy the scenery. We did get into the city to see the dedication of the Air Force Memorial on Saturday. What an awesome event! We even took my parents and nephews with us. All of this took place outside of the Pentagon. Seeing the history of the United States Air Force and hearing our Commander-in-Chief say "Thank You to the United States Air Force from a free and grateful nation." made tears come to my eyes. And then our hearts raced as the Thunderbirds gave the Memorial it's first salute from the air with a "Bomb Burst". It was quite a thing to behold.
Andy continues at the Pentagon until mid-January and then he'll be at Bolling AFB for a few months. The girls love school and are making new friends. I love teaching first grade again and due to a large number of children, we've just added another first grade class. My class size decreased (from 27 to 20), which will be a huge relief.
Moving sure does take its toll on every part of your being. You get through it on adrenaline and then when the dust settles, you're just tuckered out. But moving has been a tremendous classroom for learning spiritual lessons in my life. I'm learning to trust my heavenly Father more each day. I heard a sermon recently about our earthly circumstances are not meant to "satisfy" us- that's what Jesus is for... if we were "satisfied" with the ways things are, we would not rely on Christ like we are commanded to do.
John Piper says it best- "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him."
We press toward the goal... and rejoice through it all.
We send you love from the beautiful and busy...Commonwealth of Virginia, LT

Resolved

Working at the Pentagon is a constant reminder that we are in a war, and no, we aren't over the attacks of Sept 11, 2001 yet. At least the families of the victims and the people I work with are not over it. I had the privilege Monday of helping with the 911 memorial services here. Got to listen to the Vice President's speech up close; meet the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and watched President Bush and the First Lady hug and cry with the victims' familes at the wreath laying at the crash site on the Western Wall. From what I saw, our leaders sincerely care. But the most profound moments of the day were spent with two of the still-grieving families, just sitting down and listening to where they are in this journey of sorrow. As folks were milling about the memorial, waiting for the President to appear, I sat down beside an older couple and struck up conversation. The father, a retired sheet metal contractor, was talkative about his son who was in the Pentagon that day. Trying to get beyond the agony of his death, he volunteered to join the team rebuilding the site. He would personally lay the duct work in the office where his son died, a memorial to his boy and a testament to the American spirit. What a family. What a nation. I said goodbye to him and his wife realizing that we are in this fight for many reasons, not the least of which are the families. They deserve to see justice served. May God grant us the resolve to serve it.

--A.T.

Home, Sweet Home

You've heard, "Home is where your heart is." Or "Home is where you hang your hat." Well, it's a puzzling question, but where is home exactly? Especially for a PK, now turned military wife, where is home? Well, our earthly home is just where we are together as a family. It can be TLF quarters, our parent's homes, a church, or right here in our beautiful new place. We are together. We are hanging pictures. We are trying to learn our way around. We are "home" again, at least for a little while. BTW- there are some pretty famous homes in this neck of the woods...

Thanks for all your prayers and support. Andy's new job assignment for six months is in the Secretary of Defense's office with a Families Commission. His next rotation will be at Bolling AFB in the Chief of Chaplain's office for six months. After that, we don't know. He is learning the DC bus system, and it seems to get him there in one piece without any road rage to speak of. It has been long days with an "Early to bed, early to rise..." Ben Franklin theme. The girls are settling in and I started back to work this week. It's a wonderful school and better yet, just down the street from our house! We are enjoying God and hopefully, glorifying Him and looking forward to a permanent eternal home. Blessings from the Commonwealth of Virginia, LT

Our Time in SC...

Thanks for all the prayers. We made it safely to visit family and friends in SC. You've heard of "jet lag", well, we had "car lag." It seemed to take me a few days to recover from the long trip. Andy said all that needed a rest was his ears- because little Rachel and Abigail were his passengers.

Time in Spartanburg flew by and included a birthday party for Sarah, lots of family time, too much good food, a trip to a water park, and Piggy Park in Columbia. We had a reunion with some dear old friends from high school (and earlier). It was great to see all our children together.

We've been in Georgetown this week with family. We've enjoyed some beach time at Pawley's Island, the Myrtle Beach Pavillion, and visiting more good, old friends. I even ran into some former students. I taught them in first grade and now they are sophomores in college. Could I really be that old?? We are ready to hit the road on Sunday for our last leg of this PCS. We will be glad to come to rest at our new home in Virginia. The Lord is so good... LT

Coast to Coast: Days Six and Seven

Twin cities? Or Twilight Zone?

The blog went undone last night because we got lost in a time portal or parallel universe. And when the portal is East St Loius, bad things are gonna happen . . . .

This was pretty bad. As we were laying around in our comfy Comfort Inn after the days journey, eager to visit old friends in O'Fallon, it was brought to our attention by one of these old friends on the phone that something was terribly wrong. We were in the wrong O'Fallon . . . and the wrong state, for that matter! Did you know there are two cities named "O'Fallon" within 45 miles of each other? That's right--neither did we. One is west of St. Louis and the other is east of St. Louis. And both have Comfort Inns. Guess which one we were in? Yep, the wrong one. So we had to scramble, reload the caravan, and head through St Louis at rush hour and a blinding thunderstorm. Our friends got a good laugh out of this, but I think we still could use some counseling to get over the trauma. Apparently this happens quite a bit since the cities are so close. It just seems plain wrong that the O'Fallon clan of old couldn't get along and had to start dueling cities on opposites sides of the river!

Meeting with friends has been the icing on the cake for this trip, though. Leigh gets all the credit for setting these reunions up. Last night we saw the gang from the McGuire Evangelical Service (01-04) at the Dougherty's, and tonight we had dinner with our dear friends from our last pastorate, the Fowlers. Jason is an archivist at the Southern Theo Seminary library, and one of the smartest and funniest guys we know. Michelle is an awesome school teacher who can match his wit. We have too much fun chewing on theological, philosophy, and schemes to save organized religion in America. They are great and we miss their fellowship. Thanks for a great night in Louisville!

Tomorrow is the last leg of the trip to SC. We hope to see my brother in Ashville before rolling into Spartanburg in the evening. Keep us in your prayers--we ain't there yet!

SDG--AT

Coast to Coast: Day Five

We swung into Fort Hays (or what's left of it) this morning on the way out because the kids wanted to see the buffalo herd. We weren't really interested in taking the tour of the fort, particularly after the museum worker told me that Matt Dillion never really delivered any prisoners there. The Officer's Quarters (virtually all that's left of the fort's structures) caught our attention. They almost looked more inhabitable than the one's we just left at our last assignment!

The buffalo "herd" (as it was advertized) looked pretty thin at five. Tetunka has seen better days. Sorry for the rear shot, but apparently these guys aren't real impressed with tourists.


We passed the Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abeliene, and if we had more time we would have stopped. We like Ike. Ironically, road crews were reconstructing I-70 along that stretch of highway with some of the most elaborate machinery and materials I've ever seen in road construction. Perhaps it was a nod to the President who concieved of the interstate system 50 years ago.

We rest tonight in Independence, Missouri, home of the 33rd POTUS, Harry Truman. We'll drop into his presidential library and home in the morning, Lord willing. I've gotta admit I'd much rather see Eisenhower's crib, but Truman intrigues me. One of our most unlikely of presidents, he was a failed businessman who never graduated college. He was the last choice to replace an unpopular VP under Roosevelt, who apparently rarely if ever met with him. HE FIRED GEN MACARTHUR (that's a foul), and he had an approval rating of 22% the last year of his presidency (and the press sounded the death knell when Pres Bush's rating hit 31% in May?!). Through all that and numerous scandals caused by his political appointees, ole Harry still rates as one of our best presidents. Maybe it is because he honestly spoke his mind. Or maybe he didn't have a pollster on staff. And maybe we'll get enlightened tomorrow.

After that, its off to St Loius to see our old pals from the McGuire AFB Chapel. I love reuinions.

SDG--AT

Coast to Coast: Day Four

So this is Middle America.

Oh yes, we are in Kansas, Dorothy. Hays, Kansas, a name I remember from Gunsmoke episodes as a town where Marshall Dillion always had to go to fetch a prisoner (and usually get bushwhacked by said prisoner and his buddies on the way back). There's not much to Hays, pop. 20,103. But it looked like the gates of heaven after 350 miles of nothing from Denver. In fact, I think "Hays" is a Shawnee Indian word meaning "finally, something!"

So that's our one Kansas photo. Don't let those trees in the foreground fool you--that shot was actually on the Colorado border. I just couldn't motivate myself to take a picture of endless prairies. We came a gopher's breath from going into "Prairie Dog Town" to see "the world's biggest prairie dog" and "6-legged steer." That's what prairie stare will do to you.

Seriously though, we realize we are in America's Breadbasket. We would be hurting without the vast agricultural activity of this state.

So we ate at the Golden Corral tonight to celebrate.

See you in Missouri tomorrow, Lord willing!

SDG--AT

Coast to Coast: Days Two and Three

Hi folks:

Sorry for combining two days, but it turns out that the internet doesn't work too well in Green River, Utah. It is in the middle of NOWHERE, after all. They did have a cool Jon Heder (Napolean Dynamite) billboard though. The kids spotted it first. Figures. They all know the "I Love Technology" song by heart.

Today we stopped in Rifle, Colorado. Had lunch with old friend Cathy Rex Rossilli and her family. Cathy was in our wedding 16 years ago and discipled Leigh. Great people and we wanted to spend more than 45 minutes with them, but we had a train to catch.

If you've never been up I-70 from Grand Junction to Denver, you have yet to see God's Country. Plug in a little John Denver and enjoy the view. The kids miss most of that, of course, and just want to know when the next tunnel is ahead. The Eisenhower Tunnel is the mother of all tunnels that we've ever traveled--1.7 miles long, with an elevation of 11,000 feet. It was a chore making it up the 7 percent grade pulling 3,000 lbs, expecially after lunch at Sonic.

But Georgetown, Colorado was waiting at the top! I called Dad and told him we were in town, but he figured out pretty quickly it was not Georgetown, South Carolina, the place of my nativity. Still can't pull one over on that guy . . . .

We arrived just in time to catch the last train on the Georgetown Loop Railroad. Check out the pictures and you'll get the "loop" part. It was a trip back in time as one can imagine it hauling silver ore down the mountains. Apparently the silver mining was so big in the late nineteenth century that it was the 3rd-largest city in the state. Its pretty much a ghost town now, which may be bad since we're staying here tonight.

Its Kansas tomorrow, Deo volente.

Coast to Coast: Day One

Greetings Friends--

Having completed our tour at Vandenberg AFB on Friday, we have set out on our cross-country trip back to SC and then on to the Pentagon assignment. Thought you might be interested to read our travelogue, since nothing is ever boring with three little girls in tow . . . especially for 3,000 miles.

Today we are overnighting in Henderson, NV, the less-grungy sister city of Las Vegas. Yeh, they still have the casinos, but you don't get the street hawkers passing out flyers to peep shows. This is probably because with no shade and 110 degrees, hawkers would have to be on an IV to avoid passing out themselves.

The big jewel today was the Hoover Dam, and yes, it was "dam" big. Sorry, I couldn't help myself. No more cussing, but take a look at the pics (click on to enlarge). It is quite the engineering marvel, a testament to a time in America when people worked harder. Apparently the project was completed two years early and several million under budget (and this was government work?!). We didn't take the tour (couldn't imagine a 7 and 5 year old being interested in water turbines), but we drove over and peered over the sides. I would have gotten more dizzy if I weren't so sick from the 108 degree heat. Somehow, a more sturdy generation of Americans braved the heat and the heights putting this thing in place.

Back in town, we enjoyed a West Coast experience we will sorely miss--the good ole In-N-Out Burger. We ate there for the last time tonight, since there are none outside of CA, AZ, and NV. Fresh cut fries, never frozen hamburger meat, absolutely fresh everything, in the cleanest restaurant you've ever stepped into, and with workers who look like they just walked out of a "Leave It to Beaver" episode. And this is cool--John 3:16 printed on all the cups! So eating fatty meats and fried potatoes is actually supporting the Kingdom of God, wouldn't you say? Yes, I hear that "AMEN" from my portly buddies across America.

Off to Utah tomorrow . . . another state I am fairly certain the Lord never intended for man to inhabit. We'll just be "pilgrims passing through," of course.

Good night.

Two Unforgettable Sights....

Check out these bad boys--"The Twins" @ Sequioia Nat'l Park. That's Leigh and the girls standing to the right (left click for a better view). That sort of big sets one to pondering, "What was God thinking when He made this?" If the desired effect was to mess with our heads, He nailed it. These things don't look real, folks. So I think trees are special to the Lord . . . particularly that one that held His Son.

In honor of us leaving California, they shot off a very large bottle rocket, aka, a Delta 4 last night. They said it was to launch a spy satellite, but we like to think of it as a nice gesture to send us off. Seriously though, it is remarkable the knowledgethat the Lord has freely put into the mind of man. These guys with the pocket protectors are definitely recipients of divine wisdom when they can put a rocket into orbit flying 14,000+ mph. A rocket launched from Vandenberg AFB will be over the Falkland Islands within 30 minutes. If you're interested, check out www.spaceflightnow.com for some good pics of last night's launch. Of course, Leigh's look even better, don't you agree? A.T.

T-minus 10 days left for us in California. Man I'm gonna miss the view . . . .

So Long Golden State...

Well, the sun is setting on our time here in the Golden State. Packers come in one week and then a week in lodging on the base. We head out on Saturday, July 8, 2006. We are living out Johnny Cash's song "I've Been Everywhere." Seriously though, we would appreciate your prayers for safety (and sanity- traveling with 3 little girls for 3,000 miles puts James 1 to the test!) We hope to see some of you along the way. We will spend a few days in SC with family, then up to VA to get settled.
Some good news- Leigh got a teaching job at the elementary school in our new neighborhood. She'll be teaching First Grade, while Rachel is in all day Kindergarten and Abigail is in Second Grade there. All the girls are excited about Mommy's new job- Sarah can't wait to help grade papers.

Some things we'll miss about CA- no humidity, cool temps, the Pacific, the beautiful mountains, the sunsets, the strawberries, and In-and-Out Burgers.
Some things we won't miss- the wind, the fog, the LA traffic, and the gas prices!
All in all, we are so blessed to have seen and experienced this beautiful place.
We are also blessed to get to see this country from sea to shining sea! It is truly America, the beautiful. Blessings to you and yours.

My Father Rejoices...

If you live in our house, chances are pretty good that you have many nicknames. Well, June 1st marks a special day for a special little girl, affectionately known as "Abby-girl", "Abby-dinks", "Cutie-gail", and "Sweet Abby".... Abigail Grace is turning seven! "Abigail" means "My Father rejoices" and "Grace" means "unmerited gift." She continues to live up to her precious name. Her birthday is special even though none of us were there the day she came into the world. But God, in His mercy, was there and preserved her until 5 months later when she became our little girl. It seems like she's always been with us. She is made of lots of sugar and a little spice. She's happy, assertive, VERY social, athletic, beautiful and quite oblivious. It's adorable. The Lord continues to show her His grace and continues to bless us to be her family and watch her grow.
We love you!
Happy Birthday, Abigail!

The Woman of My Dreams

Name droppers. You know the type--can't get through a conversation without giving you their resume and listing the important people they know. I don't really care for their company, and you probably don't either. Still, I hope you don't mind me sharing a little story about a 5 second encounter I had with Nancy Reagan a couple of weeks ago.

I make no secret of the fact that I am a Reaganphile (like many of you). I loved the man. Cried when he died. And I still miss him. He was, in no small part, responsible for me joining the Air Force the first time (way back in 1983). I even sent him a letter telling him so, and he wrote back--real White House letterhead, signature, and everything (unlike the stamped post card I received in reply from a letter I sent the 42nd POTUS). Ronald Reagan was a complex, even elusive man. Even his children express that there was a mystery about his innermost thoughts. Close friends said he was very friendly, but they didn't really know him. But one person did. She knew him like no other on earth, and I got to stand by her and shake her hand. Somebody pinch me--I love the Air Force!

As the photo-op broke up, eveyone walked away rather quickly, since the next group was coming up for a shot (and probably because the Secret Service was eyeballing us pretty good). But I was determined to say something to this remarkable little lady who had Ronald Reagan wrapped around her pinky all their married life. So I reached for her hand and said, "Ma'am, I want to thank you for showing America how to love your spouse." She smiled, demurred, and I walked away really believing what I had just said. Say what you will about the Reagans, but only a fool would doubt that those two were google-eyed in love all their days together. Read the love notes they wrote to each other right up till the end of Ronald Reagan's sanity and you will see they weren't faking it for the cameras.

On the eve of the 16th anniversary of sheer bliss with the woman of my dreams, I only hope I can have a tenth of the Reagan passion for my mate. She rates all of my energy and love. She never bores me. She is my life apart from Christ. I pray the Lord keeps me from making an idol of the lady, because its hard not to. I understand they celebrate Cinco de Mayo in Mexico, yet that light you see in the western sky Friday is not Mexico, but the glow of a grateful husband's heart in central California, celebrating the time of my life with the lady of my dreams.

It All Started With A Mouse...

Well, we just got back from a trip to the Wonderful World of Disneyland. Wow-
From the flower beds, to every employee we encountered, to the beautifully detailed rides, the parades, the shows, the musicians, the princesses, it was truly unforgettable. There is certainly attention to detail which is evident at every turn. We wondered why it had taken us so long to make it there...until we got in line with the other "one hundred billion" people there the same weekend. Even with the crowds, we had an unbelievably fun time making lots of memories. Sarah is fearless- from the fastest roller coaster to the haunted mansion, she'll do anything! Abigail wants to ride it all until it starts and then the tears begin. When the ride is over and the tears are gone, inevitably she said "Could I ride this again?" We're not sure what Rachel saw as her head was usually buried in one of our arms. She maintains that her favorite was the log ride in which she squealed with glee. We left with the sense that we needed a couple more days to see it all. Oh well, maybe next time. It took Leigh 37 years, but she finally met Minnie!


An answered prayer- the Lord has provided a home to rent in Virginia. We are so thankful that He is always faithful to work out all the details!
Blessings...