An Empty Place

From this day forward, our lives will be different. From almost the very moment we moved to Springfield, my kids became friends with another family from here. Tanya (mom), Trevon, and Benton. Tyler and Benton are the same age, and Tucker was constantly calling Trevon and Benton his best friends. We became very close to Benton because he also became involved in our church family. It seemed like either he was coming over here or Tyler was going over there. Well, recently they decided to move to Pennsylvania, and nothing any of us could say would stop them! It was a priviledge for us to have them be a part of our lives. Benton and Trevon are wonderful boys. Benton, especially, was a joy to be around. He always had a smile on his face. We were always happy to have them in our home. We are going to feel an emptiness around here for a while, but hopefully we will be able to keep in touch!

Say, hey, It's been a good Day!

We had a really great Sunday today! I was just telling Travis how I loved Sundays like this.

We have been so blessed to have had Matt & Kelly Wright attending with us the last 6(?) months. They moved here from Columbia, and we are glad they did! She is a pediatrician and Matt is a Math Professor at MSU, but their heart is with God. They also have a special place in their hearts for missions. In the summer of 2007, they took a trip to Africa, Zambia to be exact, and they were never the same. So, this morning, they told us all about it. They did a great job, and we were all wishing we could go with them on their next trip this summer....my kids want to know if they would notice them in their suitcases!!!

Then tonight we had music night and fellowship. I love these nights. People come with a song in their heart and then we sit around afterwards talking, sharing, and laughing, and of course, eating! I was especially proud of Tyler who participated for the first time with his trombone! He did good. I guess that's warm up for the concert on Tuesday!

I forgot....Travis also had Deante' and Tucker up in front of the church so that he could share with everyone about them accepting Christ. It was so cool to see how excited they are! As soon as Travis mentioned their names, they were raising their hands and smiling. They couldn't wait for people to know! I want to do everything to encourage them to maintain that excitement! We also gave them new Bibles for them to read, and they couldn't wait to get into the car and open them up!

Very Good day! Ps.....I was just informed that Travis wants me to say that today was blogolicious.....I know, I'm sorry.

Changed Lives

Ok, I know I just posted earlier today, but I just couldn't wait!!! Tonight was "S"urgical week for our Troop 4:20 group. This is the week that we emphasize the salvation message. John 3:16 is the verse for this week. I thought to mix things up a bit, I would get some special guests to come and give their testimonies. Chris McPhail is a Springfield police officer, and I thought the kids would get a kick out of that! So, Chris agreed and tonight was the night. He showed up, fully dressed out, and gave the kids his story. He related that, as an officer, he saw it as trying to encourage people to make good choices. Just like God wants us to make good choices. And that there are consequences for our bad choices. Well, he did a great job, and the kids had lots of questions to ask. But the best part was that when he was finished, I asked the kids how many of them were already Christians. Some didn't raise their hands, and I told them that I would hang out for a bit in case anyone wanted to talk.....3 KIDS GOT SAVED TONIGHT!!!! One of them was my son, Tucker!!! It was the best night, and we still have stuff to look forward to....that means there's gonna be baptisms in the near future!!! Is God cool or what!? Next week during our Headquarters week we will really have something to celebrate!

It

If Jeff Meyers is reading this then, sorry, I'm stealing all your ideas. Not really, just the suggestions to read some of the books. And mostly, you're doing good, so keep up the good work!!! lol.

I just finished another good book. I don't know what's gotten into me lately. I'm not normally a reader, but it's kinda nice! I feel very smart, or informed?? Anyway, this latest book is called "It", and it's written by Craig Groeschel. He is the pastor of Lifechurch.tv which it's main church is in Edmond, OK. (Also, an interesting sidenote is that my sister in law and her family attend the one in Sapulpa).

This book was awesome. He talks in such a down to earth speak that you can't help but think that he's talking right to you. The whole thing is about how some churches have "it" and some don't. But that we can all get "it". Not by a program, not with a seminar, but only given by God. It's full of lots of personal stories, and funny examples, but mostly it was challenging. Do you have "it"? Do I have "it"? I know my answer now. It's great, read for yourself.

Evening at the Rand's

I have to apologize first for the lack of photos....I don't know about you, but I love to see pictures. But my battery is dead and haven't replaced it yet....

I know I've been ranting about the stuff going on at the church, but when you've been looking for things to happen, I think it's right to tell everybody about them! Give God the glory!!!

This past Sunday night....well, let me go back a little. When our church began 30+ years ago, it began with a handful of people, like most churches do. One of these couples were Don & JoAnn Rand. Don was on the board and even was the key person in finding the land that the church currently stands on. About 10 years ago, Don was diagnosed with ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease. Now he is confined to a wheelchair and is unable to attend as much as they'd like when the weather is cold or rainy. Don and his wife, JoAnn really have a heart for our church. And we always miss them throughout the winter months. Recently, Travis had an idea to take church to them (shame on us for not doing this sooner). So, after some planning, we scheduled our first Sunday Evening with the Rand's. We weren't really sure how the response would be....driving further at night, longer distance, not to mention we weren't meeting at the church *gasp*! But, when we began at 5:30, we had 20 people there!! We sang songs with Travis leading on guitar, spent some time in the word, and then most everyone stayed around a long time to enjoy the fellowship! I love seeing God's people enjoy each other. We'll be doing it again in February and I can't wait!

There are some really cool things going on in our church family. We are still mending and growing, but you can definitely feel God working. Sometimes it's scary, but mostly it's just cool. When I feel like it's getting scary, it's mostly because I get myself caught up in the details...you know, trying to work everything out? That's when I'm reminded, no-no, it's not up to me. I'm just responsible for my part, let God do His part. I was having a really bad couple of days this week, so I decided this was as good a time as any to sit down and do my Bible study for the day. When I opened it up, this was the verse I was to read....."That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forver!" 2Cor 4:16-18. Wow, okay, God...I get it! Leave the details and the dirty work to you....Like I said, there are some cool things coming together at the church. I'm not really sure whether I can mention them yet, but just pray for us. That's one thing we all can do!

A Thumbs up to Rodizio's!

A few years ago a man walked into our church. He immediately seemed "out of place" but came right in and wanted to speak to Travis. Who knew that day that man would be such a blessing to us and our church family. This man, Pastor Chung, was looking for his congregation a new place for them to meet. Through a few meetings and prayer, we decided to join ministries and allow their congregation to meet in our church at different times than when we are there. Over the past few years, their family has grown and grown. We have had a joint service with them, and it was wonderful. Seeing 2 different backgrounds coming together and worshipping the same God!

Well, their family has been so generous to Travis and me the last two years for Christmas and they have given us a gift both years. This year, they gave us a gift certificate to Rodizio's. We decided to cash it in tonight! I was a little skeptical, because I wasn't sure about the whole Brazilian food thing, but it was WONDERFUL! The service was great, and you really get your money's worth! It is like this whole experience. I would recommend this place to everyone! It is at Battlefield & I-65. Plan on coming hungry, and plan on spending some time there. It takes a while to sample 15 (?) different cuts of meat and all the stuff that goes with it!!! But save room for dessert because it is just as good! We had Matt & Kelly there with us to kind of guide us through (they had been before)! And then there was Melvin and Clarissa Moon.....is that guy everywhere??? Anyway, thumbs up to Rodizio's!!!

God Working

We just got back from a Senior Saints meeting at the church.  We hadn't been in months, but this month we were asked to attend.  There were several people there and tons of food.  We also had a time of singing with guitars and stuff.  It was a very nice time.  There was laughing and fellowship and lots of smiles.  God is working in the hearts of our people and tonight I saw it.  

Life's Messy

I went with some friends of mine on ANOTHER girl's nite out! I must be doing something right??? lol. Anyway, we went out to eat, and then decided to go and see BRIDE WARS. I thought from the previews that it looked cute, so off we went. It was really a very clean, funny look at the relationships between people, women specifically. There was one line that stood out to me. One fiance' said to the other, "Life's messy." I've heard this before, but I think that I have not believed that all my life. I think, in the back of my mind, I thought that smooth sailing was proof of a good life. When now I think that feeling of sunny days and smiles can just be masking other things deep down. For instance, when Travis and I first were married, it made me proud to say, "We never fight." Did that mean Travis didn't make me angry, definitely not, it probably just meant I wasn't dealing with the problem. Also, churches that we have worked in. When problems or disagreements came up, did that automatically mean that God thought it was our time to leave? Maybe, maybe not. Those could have been opportunities for us to learn something, to grow. We've learned since then that problems exist in every church, it's just how willing you are to work them out and get them solved. Just like our marriage, we are still married, of course, but we are trying not to hold things in. Life's messy. Conflict doesn't mean the end. It's just discovering the differences between us all. Kudos to the people who stick around and work things out. I want to be one of those people. I think we treasure the things we fight for. My marriage is worth it, my church is worth it, and my relationships with my friends are worth it.

Whatever!

We had our Bible Study today. It seems like we haven't met in a while because of the holidays, so it was nice to get together. I was also very excited to have 2 new ladies join us! I can tell they are definitely going to add to our group!

Our study is on Fear. Seems pretty simple, but apparently, it's not. Today the writer referred to Phil 4:8..."Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, thing about such things." And Kelly brought up the fact that she had a leader on a missions trip that if anything happened, to keep them on track, he would just say...."whatever!" to try and keep their minds in the right places! I love it! The mind is such a battlefield. I struggle with it everyday. And that's when fear gets a foothold and starts filling your (my) mind with doubts, and causes me to not do what God wants me to do. I've always heard that "Perfect love casts out fear." And I am going to go with that motivation. My love for others is going to outweigh my fear of failure, and I will react with obedience to God. This study has been very eye opening for me. Bring on Chapter 4!

It's a Small World Afterall!

It truly is a small world. A few months ago while browsing through my high school graduates on MySpace, I stumbled upon someone I knew and she lives in Springfield! I thought that was really cool and so we started messaging each other. Her name is Adrienne, and I graduated with her brother. But we finally got together yesterday for lunch and got caught up on the last 15+ years! Before we knew it, 6 hours had passed and we both had a really great time! I'm looking forward to a new friendship!

EVERYBODY GO LOOK!!! I posted the pics that go with the last few blogs I've done. I still don't have all the kinks worked out with my camera, but they're there! Whew!

Happy New Years!!!

We weren't really sure what we were going to be doing for New Year's. As of 5pm, we were still considering a variety of choices. Our first choice, friends Matt & Kelly, weren't really sure what they were doing since she assumed she was going to have to be at work the next day, but SURPRISE, she didn't. So, we headed over there. Matt and Kelly have taken a few missions trips and Kelly spent about 6 weeks in France, so she has been telling us lately about all the really cool cheeses from over there. This seemed the perfect chance to try some new things. We had brie, camombare (?), goudah, and goat cheese. They were all awesome! We also played some board games, a little PS3, a little Wii, and then we watched the ball drop to 2009!! We are so thankful for friends like Matt & Kelly!

Troop 4:20 Pajama Party!

Instead of staying up til midnight with all of our kids, I thought it would be fun to just have a party and all of us wear our favorite pjs! This also corresponded with our Headquarters week for Troop 4:20! We had 21 kids at our house on Tuesday from 6:30-8pm. We ate lots of goodies, played games, and gave away door prizes. It feels good to show these kids that people who love God can have a good time!