Merry Christmas to all!!!!!!!!!!

Today is a day to celebrate. Growing up I have always enjoyed the Christmas season and being able to give to my family, friends and others around me. Each year I have always tried to give a little more.

Well let me tell you all about how the day has gone. I actually didn't get up until 8:30 am which is kind of late for me on Christmas, but I needed some extra sleep. My brother and his friend came by for 3/4 of the day which was awesome. After opening stockings and presents we all played bowling on the Wii. As usually, we had our annual Christmas Casserole for breakfast that I look forward to every year. My mom makes it better ever year. Having a Skype Video Chat with my brother and his family. Tonight will just be a time for relaxing after eating a delicious meal prepared by my mom.

Here are some pictures from the day:

These are pictures of our house being all decorated, the tree, mantle and staircase. Also there is a picture of our advent calendar that we use to count down the days until Christmas. This advent calendar has been a family tradition since I can remember and even now as we are all older, we still analyze were the pieces go. The few rules are, two same piece can't go next to each other, the star always has to go on top, and trying to keep the colors as evenly spread on the tree. This is the first year that a picture has been taken of the tree so for next year, we will know what we had done the previous year.



So would you like to know what I was blessed with? I was blessed with:

-Digital Photo Album Key Chain
-Incense smelly thing (really don't know what it is)
-Devotional "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers
-Bible Trivia Desk Calendar
-Book called Start Something by Calvin Nowell
-Season #1 of the TV Show JAG
-DvD IQ with Tim Robbins, Meg Ryan and Walter Matthau
-DvD The Majestic with Jim Carrey
-Wii video game The Biggest Loser
-CD Michael W. Smith "Stand"
-CD 33 Miles "Believe"
-CD Mark Schultz "Come Alive"
-CD Michael W. Smith "i 2 eye"
-CD Avalon "Reborn"
-CD Steven Curtis Chapman "Beauty Will Rise"
-Awesome Wall Hanging
-JC Penneys Gift Card
-Stocking with full with candy, toothbrush, toothpaste, calculator, ornament, socks and a few other small things.

This is a picture of everything that I received on Christmas Day:

Thank you to all who showered me with these amazing gifts during this holiday season.

Even though it is so much fun to give and receive gifts on Christmas, let us not forget the true meaning of Christmas. Today is the day were we get to celebrate the birth of the Savior of the World which is Christ the Lord. Today is the day God chose to send us the greatest gift of all, the man that would fulfill His calling of being sacrificed on a cross for our sins. Because of this gift, I have been saved by grace and mercy that I truly don't deserve but have been given freely. Thank you Lord for this gift and for always loving me unconditionally and providing for all of my needs. I love you so much.

I want to leave you with the saying that was on the wall hanging that I received as a gift today. "Happy Moments, Praise God, Difficult Moments, Seek God, Quiet Moments, Worship God, Painful Moments, Trust God, Every Moment, Thank God" ~Author Unknown

May the Savior of the world bless you and your families abundantly as we celebrate the true reason for the season, Jesus Christ.

T~Money

Who is our ultimate pillar?

What is a pillar? Dictionary.com says a pillar is any upright, supporting part; post or a person who is a chief supporter of a society, state, institution, etc.

When I think of a pillar, I picture a tall structure that is holding something up. This is the type of person that I want to be. I want to help hold others up, if that is by giving an encouraging word, showing a good example, loving on them, or praying for them.

My question to you is this, who is our ultimate pillar? The answer, Jesus Christ, Savior of the World. This man was our sacrifice so that we could have forgiveness for our sins. He will always love us, take care of us, and petition on our behalf in front of the Father. Jesus took on a huge burden by fulfilling his calling with conquering the cross. He takes away all of our burdens so we don't have to. I am so thankful for this Savior for all he has done for me.

I truly believe that the Lord is making us into pillars so that we can be His example to this world. One of my favorite scriptures in the bible comes from the book of Philippians 2:5 - Have an attitude that is the same as Christ Jesus. This verse is a prayer on my own life that I try to live by all the time. By living like this example, we can become pillars for each other, but we need to understand that no matter what, Jesus is our ultimate pillar.

A calling that the Lord has placed on my life is to be a pillar for others. I hope people understand that they can come to me with anything. I don't mind if people call me on the phone in the early hours of the morning to talk. All I want to do is be a good listener and offer any encouragement that I can give. Even though this is a desire that God has placed on my heart, I believe that each person who is a pillar, has pillars to help hold them up. All of my friends are my pillars. I know that each and everyone of them would be there for me in a heartbeat if and when I need them. Each friend is a different pillar, meaning that they hold me up in unique ways.

I do want to mention two of my pillars that have become my closest friends within the past couple of months. These two are both outgoing and that makes it easier to talk with them. Every time I see them, they brighten and make my day. They make me laugh and have brought out the best in me. They understand my personality and like me for who I am. With there friendship, they are challenging and helping me grow in my relationship with Christ. I know that they will always keep me in there prayers, be there for me whenever I need them and I can talk with them about anything. I value both of there friendships and thank the Lord for bring us together as part of the Body of Christ, but also as friends. I don't know what I would do without them.

Through them, I have learned how to be a pillar, but not the ultimate pillar that is Christ. It is that reason that I love to pray for my friends and family and give them up to the Lord. Just a reminder, Jesus Christ is our ultimate pillar.

T~Money

Things I am Thankful For

As we just celebrated Thanksgiving, I would like to share with you things that I am thankful for:

1) I am thankful for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for loving me, molding me, and dying on the cross for my sins. I will forever be grateful for all you have done in my life. You truly are forever faithful in my life and look after me all the time. I love you so much Abba Father.

2) I am thankful for my family, my dad, mom, brothers, sister-in-law, nieces, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and so many more. This is both my biological and spiritual family. Each member of my family has a special place in my life because they have encouraged me, inspired me and helped me be all that I can be.

3) I am thankful for all of my friends. You are all truly a blessings in my life no matter how many times I have screwed up. Thanks for all the good times and memories.

4) I am thankful for my job and for the Lord providing all of my financial needs.

These are just a few of the many things that I am thankful for. I pray that your Thanksgiving was filled with lots of love, laughter and joy. I encourage all of you to remember all that we are thankful for during this time of year. Many blessings to you all.

T~Money

Where has Trinity been?

Hopefully I didn't scare all of my faithful readers, for being away so long. For that, I am truly sorry, so without further due, here is an update.

Work is going really well. I feel so blessed to first off have my job, but thankful to work for a company that trusts in the Lord and makes Christ the center of the business. Right now is our slow season, which I am thankful for because I can get caught up on some projects that needed to be caught up on. Overall, I love my job and can't believe that it has been just over a year since I first started. Wow, the time sure have flown by. I am looking forward to next year and how we can serve God even more through the company.

This fall the bible studies have started up, so I took on the third installment of Genesis, Titus and more learning in Youth Group. All the studies have been going so well and I just love how my relationship with the Lord has grown so much. I can't wait for what the Lord has in store and also for his presence and new revelations that he wants to reveal to me. It is going to be totally awesome and I am so excited.

The next update will be on my car accident that happened at the end of July. I am still not 100% to when I was before the accident. I am still in Physical Therapy twice a week to help loosen up my muscles. Also I am going to a Chiropractor to help move apart some of my vertebrae in my neck. Both have help me tremendously throughout the last two weeks. I am now showing signs of improvement so thank you Jesus for that.

The last thing that I will update on with this post is that college basketball is here and now. Yeah!!!!!! I am so excited. I will keep you post on how both the Gonzaga Men and Women's basketball teams are doing this year. First off I will start with the men's team. There are a lot of new faces which makes for an inexperience team that is playing really well. They gave Michigan State the #2 team in the nation a run for there money, didn't win, but played great basketball. They did just win the Maui Invitational over Thanksgiving. This season for them is going to be amazing and I am so grateful to be apart of it. The women's team is going to have an excited year to. They return almost every player. There season opener will go down in history as one of the best openers ever. It was like an NCAA Tourament game. Overall both teams should do great things this season and I look forward to being apart of all the drama and action.

There you have it. A lot of things have been going on and now that the holidays are upon us, things will only get busier. Well I pray the Lord's blessings on you all as you grow closer to him each and every day. I promise it will not be so long between posts. So until next time, enjoy this holiday season.

T~Money

Update on my life

A lot has happened since the last time I wrote. First of all, I can't believe that summer is winding down and school for Spokane, WA will be starting next week. They are starting a few days earlier so if we get some snow this winter then it will be easier to make up school days.

Here is an update on my accident. My neck is still the source of my injury. I lost a lot of the range of motion in my neck which makes it hard to rotate the neck. A few times, I feel like I have pinched a nerve in my neck. It has called for a few sleepless nights. I am seeing my physical therapist 3 times a week and doing stretches at home in between my appointments. Next week I need to schedule an appointment to go follow up with my regular doctor. I know that I will heal up soon, but right now I am just being patient and just doing the best I can each day.

The big news has been my mom's reelection bid for her job on the Spokane City Council. She has been awesome with her job and also sacrificed so much for this city and her family. The primary election was last Tuesday and my mom won by a landslide which means the citizens still trust her. So in my terms, phase 1 is complete and the fun is over and now on to phase 2 which will take us to the general election in November. I am so proud of my mom and have total confidence that she will win and continue serving Spokane with the Lord's guidance and her great political skills.

So that is all for now. Fall will be as busy as it usually is. Please continue to pray for our family during this campaign and for my healing a recovery from the accident. Well many blessings to you all and until next time, God speed.

T~Money

New Car, Accident and Update

So it has been a month since I last updated which is way to long. A lot has happened in this past month. Work has been busy as always. My boss went out of town for a few weeks and I almost got everything on my desk organized. I just praise the Lord for providing for the company and giving us big numbers.

In Youth Group, we finished up the Life of David. That was a very good study. I learned so much from it. In August, we have canceled Youth Group for the whole month which is a nice break. It gives me another night to just be at home and relax.

My mom's campaign is coming along. The primary election is a week from Tuesday and then just under 3 months until the general election on November 3rd. I will just be glad when it is all over. My mom is a true champion and have served Spokane like a true servant.

A couple big things have happened this month that have been major in my life. I brought my first car. It is a 2004 Honda CRV color = Red. It has A/C and cup holders plus a sun/moon roof. I absolutely love it. This was major event number 1. The second major event was the day before I got my new car, my old 1990 Honda Civic was in a car accident and totaled. I was rear-ended and the back end is completely smashed and the passendger back door wouldn't opened and a huge dent was on the top of the car and it completely broke my seat. I am okay, but have had a pain and stiffness in my neck, shoulders, and back. I have been to the ER, my regular doctor and now start have started physical therapy. I thank the Lord for insurance and for His hand with regarding this situation.

Here are some pictures of the new car.






So there you have it. That is the most current news from me. May the Almighty and Saving God bless you to the ends of the earth.

T~Money

Family Wedding & Happy 4th of July

Hello to all and I pray that everybody is doing well and enjoying the summer. I have been extremely busy and don't know where the summer has gone. Work is going well and we stay busy. A lot of the bosses are going on vacation this month, so I see why they didn't want me to take my vacation during this month like I normally would. Also, Youth Group is going well. We still are praying for growth with more kids. Right now we are learning about the life of David and I have learned so much regarding his life. David did some crazy things, but he was after the heart of God. Young Adult Group took a break for the summer which is a relief. The bible study will continue in the fall.

Right now the McLaughlin family is in the middle of my mom's reelect campaign the Spokane City Council. It takes up a lot of our time and we try to find times to relax and just hang out. Keep us in your prayers and throughout the summer as we follow the calling that the Lord has placed within my mom. She is amazing at her job and would continue to serve the people for the next four years like she has done the last four years.

During the campaign, I have been able to take a few short trips over the last two weekends. The first weekend was to Portland, OR for my cousin Rachel Myers' Wedding to her new husband Stephen Emery. Congratulations to them both and to Stephen, welcome to our family. The weekend after that, I drove to Oak Harbor, WA to spend 4th of July with my grandparents. Each event was amazing, short and sweet. Here are some pictures from the events.

Wedding: Pre Setup, During, and afterwards









Historical Highway Just Outside Of Portland:




Oak Harbor 4th of July Parade:






Naval Station in Oak Harbor, WA:



Deception Pass:


Fireworks:




View from Grandparents Deck out to The Sound:

Way Home I stopped at Wild Horses Monument:




There are just a few photos from my trips. I did miss the world's largest 3-on-3 basketball tournament in Spokane called Hoopfest. I love to go down and watch. Congrats to some of my favorite players to watch, Kalani and Derek Iranon and Doug Malott and Kyle Jordan for winning their bracket.

So that is it. May the Lord bless and keep each and everyone of you safe during this summer.

T~Money

Colorado Trip and Women of Faith Conference

Well, I just got back from taking a vacation to see my brother, sister-in-law, and three nieces down in Colorado Springs, Colorado. On my way down, there was some weather difficulty of lots of cloud coverage but we were able to land in early. Here is a list of things that I did while I was down there, went to the U.S. Olympic Training Center, U.S. Air Force Academy, Denver to tour a candy plant, saw some of my sister-in-law's family, bowling, church, their church's college group and so much more. Here are some pictures.





Trip into Denver: Mile High Stadium, Hammond's Candy, ESPN Zone, Union Station:














United States Air Force Academy (Brother Troy Graduated from in 2002):











U.S. Olympic Training Center:






That was my trip. I had to stay an extra day as my flights were canceled and delayed due to lightning, thunder, rain and clouds. Overall it was a fun and amazing trip. I hope to go back soon.

I came back to work with tons of paperwork that I am slowly goiing through. So extra time will be put in at my desk and I am ready to hopefully be caught back up within the first few days of the week. I am glad to be back and doing my job.

This weekend was amazing and it isn't even over yet. Women of Faith came to town to do a conference. The theme was "Grand New Day". The conference was fabulous. The worship team did an amazing job leading us into the the presence of the Lord. There were two concerts, one by Steven Curtis Chapman and Mandisa. Both have awesome voices and have heart felt testimonies. The dramas from Allison Allen were dramatic and had encouraging messages along with them. The speakers, Patsy Clairmont, Sheila Walsh, Lisa Whelcel, Marilyn Meberg and Luci Swindoll. There messages have encouraged my faith to make me go to a whole new level.

So that's it. Tomorrow is church and actually finishing my unpacking from my trip then gearing up for the work week. God bless you during this upcoming week and until for next post.

T~Money