Memories and a Christmas Show

Tonight Denny was flipping through old photos when he came across this one and it brought back some fun memories!

A couple of years ago, our family along with Tim and Jennifer Wood and their boys, made a trip down to Nashville to see our friends Matt and Christy in the Louise Mandrell Christmas show at the Opryland Hotel.

We had such a GREAT time hanging out together.  The only downside is Ezra was not feeling well.  For those of you who might not know Ezra, he's the little guy in the very back being held by Tim.   As I recall Ezra had a touch of the flu which left him sick at both ends, if you know what I mean.  But thankfully, by the time we arrived to the show, Ezra was feeling MUCH better.

When we arrived at the show, Matt, always being so friendly, said to us, "hey, hang around after the show and we will introduce you to Aunt Lou."

So hang we did.  We waited for about an hour after the show while Louise signed  autographs.  While we waited, our little guy, Josh, along with the Wood boys ran around the hotel like maniacs.  JUST as we were walking up to meet Louise, Josh, because he had ran around and got overheated, ran out the front door of the hotel yelling, "I'm gonna puke!"  Though at the time we didn't know if he was sick because he was overheated or because he had what Ezra had.

What makes me laugh is that I recall watching Josh head toward the outside door of the hotel, and Denny following quickly after him, and I remember thinking, "He can puke with Denny, I'M going to meet Louise Mandrell".  Ha.  What a GOOD Mom I am.

Just prior to Louise's assistant snapping the picture, Josh ran back in the door, and Louise called him over to stand by her.  So sweet. The snapshot memory was made, and he didn't puke on her shoes or nothin'.

Louise's Christmas show is WONDERFUL!! If you are looking for something special to do this Holiday Season, and Nashville's not too far from you, you might consider seeing it.  I highly recommend it.  And to anyone from our church who might be reading this, I know that Matt and Christy would LOVE to see friends from FCC Marshall.  You can find more info on the show by clicking on this link.

Distress: Do Prayers Matter?

Recently, while going through a season of distress, a friend reached out to me.  This friend is not in my day to day life, so she really had no way of knowing what I was dealing with, or going through each day...but God. 


She  reached out saying that God had put me on her heart and that she was praying for me, and is praying for me.  This happened about a month or two ago, and God has not changed my circumstances.  But what has changed is ME.  Through her prayers, God has changed me, and because of that, I am able to handle the situation I'm in much better.  I can see and feel the difference, because of her prayers.


In 2 Corinthians 1, Paul is talking about a season of distress and what helped him through, and here is what he says:


"8-11We don't want you in the dark, friends, about how hard it was when all this came down on us in Asia province. It was so bad we didn't think we were going to make it. We felt like we'd been sent to death row, that it was all over for us. As it turned out, it was the best thing that could have happened. Instead of trusting in our own strength or wits to get out of it, we were forced to trust God totally—not a bad idea since he's the God who raises the dead! And he did it, rescued us from certain doom. And he'll do it again, rescuing us as many times as we need rescuing. YOU AND YOUR PRAYERS ARE PART OF THE RESCUE OPERATION—I don't want you in the dark about that either. I can see your faces even now, lifted in praise for God's deliverance of us, a rescue in which your prayers played such a crucial part."


Maybe you've been praying for yourself, or someone else, and you feel as if your prayers don't matter.  Be reminded today, that God hears your prayers, and your prayers make difference.  Your prayers are part of the rescue operation.  Keep praying!! 

Distress: Painful but Good?

Here are some definitions of distress:

1.  Great pain, anxiety, or sorrow; acute physical or mental suffering; affliction; trouble.
2.  That which causes pain, suffering, trouble, danger
3.  A state of extreme necessity or misfortune

Who likes being in distress?  Yuk.  It is uncomfortable, unpleasant, and generally never a fun place to be.  But as ugly as distress feels, can it be a good thing?  Yeah, it can.  It is good when it turns our hearts back to God.

In 2 Corinthians 7, Paul says this:

"I know I distressed you greatly with my letter.  Although I felt awful at the time, I don't feel at all bad now that I see how it turned out.  The letter upset you, but only for a while.  Now I'm glad...not that you were upset, but that you were jarred into turning things around.  You let the distress bring you to God, not drive you from him.  The result was all gain, no loss".

"Distress that drives us to God does that.  It turns us around.  It gets us back in the way of salvation.  We never regret that kind of pain.  But those who let distress drive them away from God are full of regrets, end up on a deathbed of regrets."

"And now, isn't it wonderful all the ways in which this distress has goaded you closer to God?  You're more alive, more concerned, more sensitive, more reverent, more human, more passionate, more responsible.  Looked at from any angle, you've come out of this with purity of heart.  And that is what I was hoping for in the first place when I wrote the letter."   (2 Corinthians 7:8-13 MSG)

Are you in a tough place?  Do you feel that distressed feeling?  Allow that to drive you to God, not away.  I'm remembering this for myself today, and also encouraging you.  Sometimes it takes seasons of distress for us to really stop and sink deep with God.  And out of that distress a deeper relationship with God is created, and in addition to that deeper relationship, we are changed from the inside out.  As the scripture states we become more alive, more concerned, more sensitive, more reverent, more human, more passionate, more responsible, and have more purity of heart.  This is good.

In your distress, draw near to the Lord Jesus, and even if He doesn't change our circumstances, He changes us, and this is good!  When we turn to Him it is all gain, no loss.

Joshua's Birthday/Joshua's Baptism

Joshua's Baptism-YAY!!!!  So proud of our boy!!

Joshua's Birthday!!!  He wanted strawberry icing.  I said, "you realize, then, that you will have a pink cake right?"  He's comfortable with his manhood.

All About Josh

This weekend, for us, is all about Josh.  His birthday is Monday, so this is his birthday weekend.  We started something a long time ago that has now become a tradition.  The family member who is having the birthday, gets to choose most of what we do for the weekend.  We will typically eat out a couple of times, and they get to choose the location.  So Josh has planned his weekend.


Tonight we ate at Subway, which is one of his favorites.  Tomorrow he is having a friend over, and then later in the day he wants his family (grandparents) to come over and help celebrate his day.  Sunday, he's getting baptized.  He thinks it will be neat getting baptized this close to his birthday, and I agree.  I'm thrilled to both hear, and witness how excited he is about being baptized.  His teacher said that he has been talking about it at school.  And I've also heard him mention it to several people.  As I wrote in a previous post, it is so much fun walking this walk with him.  We are so thankful that God blessed us with his life, and thankful that the Lord has invited us to walk through life with HIM.