The Countdown Begins

14 days until I leave for Kenya!

Welcome Pastor Andy!

Today was a milestone day at my church.  Today we voted to call Andy Schulze as our new pastor. I could not be more excited.  Here are the top ten reasons why I am excited he's at SBC:

10. He spent the last several years as my kid's youth pastor, so I know he loves them and that youth are a priority.

9. I have never seen him ask anyone to do anything he didn't do along side of them.  He scooped ice cream at the projects, and has cleaned lots of toilets around the campus. Hands down one of the hardest working men I've ever met.

8. He believes that God has a huge work for us to do, really believes it, and even more, encourages us to really believe and seek out what God has for us!

7. He makes me laugh in the middle of his messages with hilarious stories.

6. He is ready to do church in a different way.....Great news for someone tired of doing things the same old way and getting the same old results.

5. He empowers minstry leaders to do what God is calling them to do without micro managing.  He believes in what God has told you to do in your minstry.

4. It's not about the money...believe me...there's no way it's about the money.

3. He is transparent, answering any question without defensiveness, and openly admitting his mistakes.

2. He loves his wife and kids.

1. He will be up at midnight at the church, leading our church members in a prayer vigil every night for two weeks,for our mission team while they are in Kenya.  Now that is just plain ole awesome. Imagine the power that God will unleash on our team!

Andy,   I can't wait to see what God is going to do in our midst.  The whole thing is about to tip on over and we are about to get soaked in God's goodness!

Pray for Joni

I was twelve years old when I first read the autobiography of Joni Erickson Tada. It was and is an amazing book. Even more amazing than that is the way God has dramatically used her quadraplegia in kingdom work.  Most of you have heard of her, or least know something about her artwork done w/ a pen in her mouth.

I love to visit her website Joni and Friends and often read her blog.

Please pray for her as she has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer.  Watch this amazing testimony: click here ( sorry! couldn't figure out how to download video but well worth your time to watch it!

Peace

Day 4 of week 2 in my Beth Moore "Breaking Free" bible study was  a lesson on the benefit of living in freedom in Christ is a life of peace.  Peace, it lets you move ahead in the great adventure God has called you to, whether that be Kenya, motherhood, or letting go of things that bind you.  There are many things at this point in life that God is revealing to me have bound me tightly from the effective and Spirit-filled life He wants for me.

Leaving things that bind you in captivity involves hard work, total reliance on God and renewing your mind.  Thinking like Christ does not come easy.  The peace that it brings, however, is worth it.

When you read this, say a prayer for me.....breaking up with things that hold me back is hard to do!

nachos, The A-team and sweet lovin'

The girls are at camp all week. I miss them desperately...ok that's a bit of an exaggeration.  We had plans to go out of town for a few days, but things like work and bills got in the way, so Wayne assured me with promises of a date night.  We planned on Tuesday night ($5 movie) but called me yesterday to tell me he had to work late. I pouted most the morning, then about 4 o clock he let me know that he was in fact home, not working late and was ready to go see the A-team!

We, along with everyone else in Greensboro, and Eatonton decided to take advantage of the $5 movie and $2 tacos at El Chaparro.  It was soooo fun!  The movie was hilarious, although Wayne had to explain the whole background of the A-team.  How did I grow up in the 80's and never watch it?  I guess I was more of a "CHIPS" girl. That Erik Estrada...

The best part of the evening was holding hands with Wayne and laughing. We laughed alot. Only a few people who know him well know how funny he is.  I love him! I am so glad God gave me a partner that makes me laugh. Marriage can get really long if you aren't sharing it with someone who shares your joy..... and your nachos!

knitting

So last night I went to a baby shower and knitted up some booties really simpiar to these. Precious!

What began as a way to diffuse my ADD mind and burn off stress, has now blossomed into a full fleged hobby.

These are my favorite knitting sites:

The Purl Bee

Uncommon Grace

 Lion Brand Yarn

Knitty

I am so bummed! I just realized I can't take my knitting needles on the plane when I go to Kenya. How in the heck am I gonna kill time on that 10 hour flight?

Today I learned

I am glad at 41 I have teenagers instead of toddlers.
Living in freedom, true freedom is an ongoing process.
I'd rather be with Wayne than anyone else in the world.

peaceful

Sometimes when we listen, we hear God speak.  Tonight I finished watering my blueberry bushes and I turned to walk up on the back porch.  I saw this in the western sky. It was late, and this picture doesn't do the color justice.  I normally would take it in and rush on, but tonight, I took it in along with a deep cleansing breath. I whispered "God, it's so pretty."  I was quiet for a few minutes.  I was listening to the crickets and ever so quietly, in a still small voice He whispered back. "I know the plans that I have for You. Plans to bring you a hope and a future."

Faith

....is keeping on the path God told me to walk when it begins to look like I took a wrong turn.
....is remembering it's not what I see, it's what I know.
....trusting God with the details.
....is remembering that worry gets me nowhere.
....is fully believing that He never said it would be easy.
....is the substance of things hope for, the evidence of things I can't see.
....is about Who I'm trusting, not the size of the problem.

My favorites

There were so many wonderful moments this weekend.  Here are  my favorites:

My Ginny girl had a stunning updo.  I caught this picture of her during the ceremony and could not believe how beautiful she looked!

Leslie a beautiful girl.  It won't be long, and she will be the one in white.

I love to watch the groom when the bride comes down the aisle. Look at Chris' face as he watches Megan make her way to the front. Priceless.

                                                                                                                   

When the day was over, I decided that my favorite part of the day was watching Craig and Megan dance.  There is something about the daughter-daddy dance. It brought tears to my eyes. Maybe it's because I have two daughters and a daddy that is crazy about them.

Maybe it was the "snow dance" they ended with. Maybe it's because I know that a girl may get married, but she's always daddy's girl.

Mr and Mrs. Christopher Bagley

We have celebrated my niece's wedding all weekend long! It was one of those joyous times that I can't really put into words....oh but don't worry....I'll figure out how to tell you with the help of some really great pics over the next few days.

For now, I'm gonna go eat a big plate of lasagna with my sweet husband!

Happy Birthday

We were some foxy ladies back in the day!

Happy Birthday Heather,

You still rock some white panyhose and slicked back hair with a jumbo size bow!

I was no Martha Stewart

Found this old picture last night, while looking through a huge Rubbermaid box of pictures. This was our little love nest. We moved in this old house that had no heat except for the wood stove.    Hmmmm we managed to keep warm.

Silas Osborne

Silas Osborne was a hard working man from Virginia. He loved the land, and loved his family. He had 5 children: Betty, Johnny, George, Tommy and Susie. These two are the only ones left on this earth. Silas and Hattie, along with their other three children wait for the rest of us on the other side.

George and Susie

Aunt Susie is very special to me. I never met Wayne's mom, Betty. She was already in heaven when I met Wayne. I feel like I know her from all the stories I've heard, but Wayne always says to "Aunt Susie is the closest thing on this earth to what my mom was like. Whenever I'm around her, I  listen to every word she says. I relish the sound of her sweet Virginia hill accent. I study the lines on her face, the way her lip curls, alot like Wayne when she smiles.  The way she lovingly rubs your arm when she talks to you.  I lov it when she says "well, honey...."  and sometimes I feel like I've spent time with Ms. Betty even though we've never actually met.

Silas never met all the generations that would come from his love for Hattie.  

Friday morning, we gathered to wish his son Tommy goodbye.  We climbed the hill in the countryside to the family graveyard.  We saw the place where Silas and Hattie are laid to rest, and his brother Johnny. I looked into the faces of all the Osbornes that gathered.  Mostly, I watched Uncle George and thought about how much he reminds me of Wayne.

The old folks were solemn.  They realize that they are much closer to the other side, than the children that ran around. laughing and climbing in the old barn.

I thought about that fact, that even on a day when death takes from us, the promise of new life is all around us.  The same country side that receives our dead, gives us a promise, through new life of a bloom that those of us who belong to Him will rise to new life as well.

Another Osborne waits for the rest of us in heaven, and the ones left, carry a heritage of faith, family and love.

Simplicity

I love the way this word sounds.  Wouldn't it be nice to simplify a few things in your life?  Check out a blog I read this week from a pastor who is trying to find the spiritual component of simplicity.

I love Bridget's take on simplicity too.  Something about summer time makes us long to clean out the closet, open up the windows, slow down and throw out the clutter.

I've decided that simplicity is only as realistic as your desires.  God deliver us from "more"

It's a circus

If you could spend 20 minutes inside my mind it would terrify you! I am so ADD, mixed with alot of OCD,  I have random thoughts and lots of them that get repeated over and over!

Wayne has learned to accpet(or ignore)  my strange though patterns, and the girls, well they just think I'm plain weird and obnoxious.  It's funny that I started running as a way to cope with stress and the neverending stream of thoughts that seem to flow from only God knows where.  When I run, it's one of the only times I am able to process my thoughts in a succinct way.  Even then it can be pretty random.  Usually I try to listen to either Mark Driscoll, Andy Stanley or Matt Chandler preach on my ipod.  I need all the Jesus I can get. Seriously! But today, I left my ipod at home and just let my mind roam. Here's a sample of what I thought in no particular order.

.....If I jumped in that lake would it be cold, and could I make it across?
.....When I get done running tonight, I am eating a chocolate donut, it's gonna taste sooooo good,....wait I think the box on the counter was empty.
.....I'm so sad Biggest Losers is over, what am I gonna watch tonight?
.....Why doesn't that guy over there ever wave? Seriously, I wave every time and he just looks at me.
.....Next I spent about ten minutes making a shopping list from Walmart
.....Figured out what I needed to do with 3 of my patients  at the clinic
.....worried about Leslie going to college
.....worried about leslie not going to college

You get the idea. Running is my therapy.  It's cheap and does wonders for my legs at the same time!