Top Ten Things you don't want to hear from Santa

10. Hey kid the Easter Bunny got run over by a car
9. How about an extreme makeover for Christmas? You need one!
8. Who needs an Ipod when you have socks.
7. Sparky didn't run away last christmas. I sat on him while I was delivering presents.
6. When was the last time you brushed your teeth.
5. The North Pole is on strike - it's clothes for all the boys and girls.
4. Aren't you the guy I caught playing with his sister's dolls last year.
3. Smile or that elf will break your legs.
2. Xbox 360, who do you think you are the pope!
1. Sorry kid - I had mexican for lunch.

Family Photo

Well if we were doing a Christmas Card this would be the best we would come up with.
Justin took this pic this year at the Tanner Thanksgiving Fest.
As you can see Miss Bowden is bigger than Bets and Myself!

Merry Christmas to all!
And to all a Good Night.

Leftovers

Believe it or not - TrueNorth let me speak again and even put it on the web.
Check out: www.truenorthchurch.com to see the sermon called "Leftovers"

Kitten

I am now the proud owner of a cute kitten named Chloe. After begging Walt for few weeks to let me have a kitten, he finally gave in last Saturday. My timing was probably not the best since I am in the middle of my law school exams and since Walt and I will be gone for 2 weeks after Christmas. Oh well. I have learned a few things about cats this past week. First, they do not always smell good. I am greatful that she inherently knows how to use a litter box, but I am not a big fan of cleaning it out. Second, cats (even little kittens) do not cuddle on command. Although she lets me pick her up and pet her, she will quickly jump out of my arms. I imagined studying peacefully and having my little kitten curled up in my lap. She will only come in my lap if she wants to. I guess that is the nature of a cat. When I get a digital picture, I will post it. Maybe this cat will teach me some life lessons (like patience and you don't always get what you expect).

Christmas Trees

Hard to believe that it is already stinkin' Decemeber. Now I know that a lot of folks have the idea that since it is Decemeber it is time to put up Christmas Trees. BACK THE TROLLY TRAIN UP!
Before we get all crazy with this Christmas Tree talk, we need to remember to celebrate an important day in US History - Decemeber 7th. Before we go half hazardly throwing up trees and decorations, we need to remember the day that started WWII, yes Pearl Harbor Day. The day that will "forever live infamy."
The second reason Decemeber 7th is important is because of a little known man's birthday, Walt Tanner! With that said. We still sit with no decorations and tree untill the celebration of Dec 7th!

Proud Wife

I meant to write this post a while back, but better late then never. I just wanted to write that I am so proud of my husband. He put a link to his sermon that he preached a few weeks ago. His sermon was excellent. He was thought provoking, God-honoring, and funny! A lot of people came up to him after church and told him what a good job he did. Also, one thing that I think is really important is that the week after Walt preached I continued to think about what he preached on. I thought about how to implement Holiness to Obedience in my life. I am proud to be married to such a wonderful man!!

Erwin McManus Quote

If you have noticed I have added "Walt's Bookshelf" to give a glimpse of books I am currently or recently read. As you can tell I am fan of Erwin McManus right now. "Barbarian Way" is an Excellent book that every Christian should read. I am almost done with "Seizing your Define Moment." In my most recent sermon at TrueNorth I quoted McManus from Seizing your define Moment." Check this quote out and chew on it a little while. It might make you think! Dangerous I know - but worth the risk.

"We have put so much emphasis on avoiding evil that we have become virtually blind to the endless opportunities for doing good. We have defined holiness through what we separate ourselves from rather than what we give ourselves to. I am convinced the great tragedy is not the sins that we commit, but the life that we fail to live." Erwin McManus pg. 34

This is where the point from H2O came from: Holiness is more than the ABSENCE of sin, it is the development into the character of Christ.

Internet Debut

Check out: www.truenorthchurch.com to see Walt Tanner's preaching debut at TrueNorth Church this past Sunday, October 30, 2005

Element Student Ministry

Some folks have been asking about our student ministry here in North Augusta. Our new student ministry name at TrueNorth is: Element Student Ministry. The students have quickly accepted this new ministry name very fast. We have two logoes. One for high school and the "e" is the middle school logo.

We have two two services on Wednesday Nights. Our middle school service is at 6.15pm and we are currently running around 55 students. The high school service is at 7.15 pm and it is currently averaging around 65 students. This is unusual for most student ministries. Usually the MS service is more highly attended. Kids who can figure em' out.

Our four purposes are: ENGAGE a lost a culture - ENCOUNTER a real atmosphere - EVOLVE in our relationship with Christ - EXALT God with our lives. We have just finished the "Welcome to the Planet" Series by Doug Fields and Saddleback. So we have introduced our students to these ideas. Well that's it. Stay tuned for more updates with Element Student Ministry.

What is a "blog"?

Quote of the day:
Ian Wilson wrote, "what's the deal with 'blogs' anyways. are we really to lazy to pronounce the 'w' and the 'e'?"
My wife who is SUPER SMART says, "We Blog. That doesn't make sense."
If you don't know - as my wife apparently doesn't. "Blog" is short for "Web Log."

Life with a Wife

I apologize for my wife's last post! I did not make/force/order to write a post. I encouraged her to write a post to give everyone the 411 with what is going on with her school, and search for a new job.

I am in agreement with Betsy that married life is great and they we are still in the "honeymoon" stage. She watches football with us (Bowden and I) on Saturdays. I have a feeling that in 20 years she still won't watch Game Day with me. Of course she hasn't replaced the Phad (Casey, Stevie, and Ian) in watching Saturday Morning Game Day while cooking bacon in our boxers!

For those of you checking out the Tanner Blog. Don't forget to leave a comment down at the bottom. We would love to hear from you. And please don't leave any links to ADULT SITES - Carole Roy!!!

My First Post--Life

So, Walt tells me that I have to write a blog. I do not really have time to be writing blogs, but because I love him I will take the time and do it.

This first post will just be about life. First, I love married life. We have been married for about 2 and 1/2 months now and are definitetely still in the "honeymoon stage." As a matter of fact, I think married life is getting better and better as each day goes by. I pray that we will continue to grow closer and love each other more as we grow old together.

School is school. I am in law school at the University of Georgia, and I will graduate May 20, 2006. I have enjoyed school for my entire life, but after almost 21 years of school I am ready to get out! Right now I am looking for a job. I am interested in doing public interest work. Specifically, I would like to work with women, children, and families. In the past I have worked with children in the juvenile court system who have been abused or neglected. Right now I am working in a clinic through the law school where we help victims of domestic violence obtain protective orders. I know what I want to do, but I just have not quite figured out how to get paid for it yet. Keeping it in prayer.

Church is going great. I am really enjoying building relationships, particularly with our Journey Team (small group).

That's it for now.

Clemson Game

Getting Started

Well lets see if I can get into this whole Blogger movement. The reason I thought I would do this would be that people from both Betsy and I's lives who are spread out all over the stinkin' country can see and hear about things going on in our lives. Plus I am not a huge fan of Mass Emails - so here we are blogging a way!

8.20.05 was our first Sunday at our new church - TrueNorth. It was a great Sunday. Why? Because it was TrueNorth's first birthday. And to give you an idea of what type of church this is...the pastor, Steve Davis, jumped out of a cake as the band played "Celebrate." There were also serious moments as we some video testimonies of people who had become of the TrueNorth family over the past year. The testimonies were Amazing! People who were lost in a darkened world found not light, but life in this church family. I am not sure on this, but I am thinking that in the last year there have been over 50 baptisms. So it was a great service

This was also the weekend for the Facedown Communion Service. The scripture which was the theme for the service was Lev. 9:23-24

Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.

This was a service that allowed everyone to worship in their own ways: standing, kneeling, sitting, sitting, or singing. Kevin, the worship leader, spent much time and planning for this amazing experience. Everyone left talking about it. I told everyone that the bar has been set high and EVERY WEEK has to be like this.

First Time for Everything

This will be Walt's first BLOG ever! Welcome to the world of Technology. Stay tuned more to come.