2019 Update

Wow! 2019 is almost over?! That was fast!

Let's do a quick update to catch up!

January: Luke turned 21 and Lottie turned 5. 

February: Brad and I probably went on a Valentines date.

March: Moriah turned 11 and Brad turned the corner towards his 50th. (I'm still 29)

April: Moriah was dancing in competitions with her AIMPAC Minis Team!

May: Grace finished her freshman year at Southeastern Oklahoma State University.

June: We moved to Weatherford, Texas and Brad became the Worship Pastor at Northside Baptist Church!

July: I (Sally) worked from home for Shaw Insurance Agency as Commercial Account Manager, while the girls swam at the neighborhood pool with new friends and went to Cousins Camp to hang out with all our family in Kansas.

August: Lottie started Kindergarten at Mary Martin Elementary very close to our new house, and Moriah started 6th grade at Tison Middle School, as well as a new dance studio (Elite - Aledo).

September: Luke swore into the US Air Force. He is currently still waiting for the job he wants to open up, but expects to go to Basic Training in January. 

October: Mom, Dad, Moriah, and Lottie went to DisneyWorld!  Grace turned 19 and started infusions again for Crohn's, all while keeping up her grades as a sophomore and working PT at Hibbetts Sports.

November: Sally started working the same job, but part time at Wallace Insurance Agency in Weatherford.We had a wonderful Thanksgiving at home and are looking forward to all that this season holds. 

Hugs and love to all our friends and family!

August & September in Pictures

August 17, 2011

Luke likes to get settled.  His room was the first one finished, unpacked and set up for living.

His door represents his journey.  

Happy to be living close to Cousin William & our godson.

Grace's church friends, Mandy & Ryann

 Moriah- happy to be going to Preschool.

Luke's friend at church, Mandy

More friends at Shady Oaks - OAK FEST!

Acclimated & Blessed

Oh my goodness.  Blow the dust off your screens.  It's been a while.  I tried to clean out the cobwebs by getting a new background, but it's still awfully quiet around here.  If you go over to facebook or pinterest, you may see more movement, but even twitter has gotten the shaft lately.  There is just way too much going on in my over-stimulated mind to put down into 40 characters.

But since you obviously didn't come here expecting to spend too much time reading....   (Actually, if you are here at all, you must really love me.  *By the way, Hi 'Chelle!)  I will put down a timeline of what I've been doing over the past few months.  August was a blur.  September was... Wait, is September over already?!  *sigh*  I do heart fall.  So glad it's here but I'm not sure that Texas got the memo.  Maybe that's why I'm so discombobulated.  I think I'll go back and start with July.

July 10 Shady Oaks Baptist Church calls Brad to be their pastor.
July 14 Brad & Luke go to Brazil (see Mission trip blog) while the girls & I go home and start staging our house to sell.
August 6 We receive an offer on our house.  (Note:  That's less than 3 weeks on the market, in a market that's not selling, in a town, much-less a neighborhood that's not selling....Oh, and at the end of a triple-digit heat wave, with a pool.  Sorry about the heat wave, Kansas, but thank you, God for that selling boost!)
August 14 Last day at RiverPoint Church, Drive to Texas
August 17 Moving truck arrives at our rental house with all of our possessions.
August 19 Offered a job teaching voice at a middle school close to our new house!
August 22 Luke and Grace start school!  Luke is starting 8th grade and playing football in his last year at middle school!  He's in Advanced Placement Science and getting good grades in everything!  Grace, after K-4 homeschooling, is starting 5th grade which here, is the last year of elementary school.  We decided on public school after much research and have loved it!  All 3 of Grace's teachers have told her that "the most important part about them is that they are Christian".  Praise God!  Grace is now Gracie to all of her classmates, but Mom's not budging.  She'll always be my Grace Caroline!  Grace enjoys choir and reading and has friends in our neighborhood that she wants to play with daily!
August 30 Moriah begins Preschool 2 days a week at a church down the street from our house.
September 3 Open House for staff, search committee and all those who helped us move in to our new house.
September 6 Start teaching voice on the days while Moriah is at preschool.  Luke's football games begin every Tuesday in September & October!
September 15 SPARK SEATTLE trip - My favorite trip ever!  God is so good.
September 24 My mom's surprise birthday celebration reunion with friends and family back in Kansas!

What miracles!!!  See what God has done!  I'm overwhelmed with His provision and love and blessing.  My friend, Hopie, texted this a while back and I still think how wonderful God's blessing is....

Definition of blessed:  "one is pronounced blessed when God is present and involved in his life.  The hand of God is directing all his affairs for a divine purpose and thus the person lives before the face of God."


Hearing Rich Mullins' song "Hold Me, Jesus" the other day, I realized that right now....He is King of my glory.  There are times in life, and have been times and will be times again when I need Him to be my Prince of Peace.  But right now, I'm praising the King of my glory for directing all of His affairs for a divine purpose and that I am getting to live before the face of God.  It's a beautiful place to be!  *sigh*  It's good to be back.  Thanks for dropping by.  I hope you are BLESSED today.

Newletter: Summer Edition

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Who Likes Change?

Here's an acronym for the word change by Susan Miller.


C- Cling to God!  Hold on to Him with all your strength.
H- He is immovable!  His presence will never leave you.
A- Always trust Him!  Trust that He knows what lies ahead.
N- Never give up!  Press on, keep moving forward, and keep your eyes focused on Jesus.
G- God will make the "rough places smooth"!  Be reassured as you read His word and abide in Him.
E-  Expect a few bumps on the road!  The reality of life is that everything will not go smoothly all the time.  If you expect some bumps along the way, you can be prepared, have a plan, and pray, pray, pray!

Driving

ohhh *sigh* where do I begin? God has been stretching out my heart in all kinds of places. I think I'll just list for you my thoughts and expound on them from there. Warning, this could be a long one, so I may have to post this as a series.

Thought #1

I love my husband. aLOT. He blesses me and serves me waaay more than I deserve. He does irk me sometimes in little ways, too like while driving, but he says it's just because I'm not in control. I say it's just because I don't want to die. But that's the adventure of living life with him. He takes me for a ride that usually scares me and is too far out of my comfort zone, but teaches me to let go and trust God to take care of me at the same time. His adventurous spirit is why we are here. It's also a reason I married him.

That brings me to yesterday, in our DRIVE series at RiverPoint; (now THAT's a segway!) he preached about giving and while talking about giving sacrificially, he brought up our call to come to Kansas. It is the first time I really remember crying during his sermon... tears of joy. (The first time I cried tears of mourning was Christmas Eve 2007, when I dreadfully missed our beloved church in Plano.) God has been working out my discontentment and I realized at that moment that He'd brought me a long way, if I could actually be thankful as Brad spoke about our move. I was happy and content, and that was an answered prayer of mine. God did that in me.

I remember sitting in our comfy living room on Eldorado with butterflies in my tummy knowing that things were about to change and my ground was shaking... again. Brad was talking to Tom about coming to pastor a new church plant in Kansas, without a name, without a place, without knowing anything about planting a church, and without any funds. with 4 other people. 4.

Now I was used to listening on the other end of the phone calls when another church was asking him to come be their music minister. I was getting used to the idea of moving. I was sorta used to meeting new people. I was used to him asking the question regarding his salary. I got used to the answer increasing with each phone call. So that probably made all of those other things I had to get used to....a lot easier. Amazing the balm that money is on the nerves of a material girl like me...and Madonna apparently. But that phone call was much different than all of the others. The answer to the question about our salary, our well-being, our family's future was, as Brad said "I. don't. know." He hung up and my ground stopped shaking. But he was wrecked. God was stretching Brad's faith and I was along for the ride. And just like in the car, I was whining and screaming and slamming the imaginary passenger's side brake. I'd never seen my husband take that big of a leap of faith and I was so proud, but then -hold the phone- he wasn't the one managing our money. He had no idea what kind of miracles it would take to say yes to a call like that. He had no idea what kind of commitment he was getting into when we had accrued so much debt, living on the salary that we had been living on. He stepped out in faith. I stepped in something else and left the footprints of it wherever I walked, sure that no one would notice if I were wearing designer shoes and a smile....

to be continued.

30-Day Encouragement Wrap-Up

How has this challenge changed your heart and life? I am more in love with my husband now than ever. When I didn't have words to encourage him, I used what I had....serving him, little gifts, hugs, kisses, support as he disciplined the children (whether I agreed with him or not) and I even wrote him a letter....because sometimes it's just easier to write down my thoughts. (I know!! Shocker.) He is stronger, therefore more attractive to me than ever, because I've lifted him up and not brought him down. I want to be his greatest support and speak blessings and wisdom into his life, because as a pastor who has to do that for others; he needs someone to do that for him. I want to be his encourager, his cheerleader, his side-kick, his fan. The cool, unexpected result was....the more I encouraged him, the more he encouraged me, or wanted to serve me, or bless me in sweet little ways.

Did God encourage you as you planned ways to encourage your husband? God let me see my husband through His eyes many times and in many ways. My husband is a good man. He has a huge heart, and loves me with the full capacity of it, no matter what kind of mood I'm in. No one on earth could love me like he does. Even more sexy to me is that fact that he loves God with that huge heart even more than he loves me. When he's relying fully on the Lord, I'm resting secure because I know that our marriage is firm and grounded in the solid promises of God's Word. And since my biggest need is security and my needs are being met, then I feel safe enough and strong enough to meet his needs, the greatest being.... respect. It's a cycle that has to be started somewhere... and a result that ends in a happily ever after....literally.

Were there difficult days where you simply needed to trust that God was working? I think this 30 days was perfectly planned (ordained) because we moved into a new house; and if you've ever moved, you know there is added stress. Through that stress came confirmation after confirmation that God has His master plan in place. (well duh I know...but sometimes don't we need to be smacked over the head with stuff!?!) Honestly, over the past 2 years since we've been in church-planting, I've "encouraged" my husband to quit. Yes quit. More than once. Ministry isn't fun most of the time. It's hard. People can be mean and I'm very protective of those that I love. This move and the unity that has developed in our marriage has taught me several things, but the most important is to keep on trusting that God IS working. He works for the good of those who love him. There will be days when it's difficult, but that's when God is encouraging me in the words of my grandpa to "keep on, keepin' on" ...the best is yet to come.

Praises from the Sea of Boxes

So thankful for all that God has done. It's amazing how perfectly He put together pieces of our puzzle as we moved here. Looking back, every step was orchestrated.

• Saw this house on the market way back in March when only the thought of moving was there. Never thought it'd still be on the market in the summer with such a good price and a POOL!
• Sold our house in 3 weeks, shortest time yet for house-selling for us. Most houses in this town are taking months & years.
• Sold our house for the asking price! Wow! Praise God.
• Closing date wouldn't be for 3 months--Sept.15--but this was all in His timing.
• Lenders told us to be aware that not all loans were going through because of so much fraud and foreclosures happening in the economy today. We prayed.
• Great guy in our church, Verne, said we could use a 53' semi tractor trailer to move our stuff! Boxes came from lots of friends that had recently moved & even packing paper from the Lapps! Thank you!!!
• Day before closing/of unloading: Carrie kept my girls! Darlene made yummy homemade cinnamon rolls! My daddy came all the way from Oklahoma, but then left sick. :( (pray for him! --kidney stones!) Few appraisal twists that caused unnecessary worry. We prayed with all of the wonderful RPC friends who helped us move. Hope & Amy mowed our lawn with Gary's mower. New friends, Ronda & Tim brought dinner!
• Day of closing: Amy kept my kids! Gary let us use his truck for all the extras! Lenders (for our buyers) finally got approval and the paperwork went through at 1:55, with a deadline of 2:00pm, if we were all to close that day. Seriously: God is telling us-- His timing is perfect.
• At closing after all was said and done, they paid us $20.87 to move into our house. :)
• We had another great group of RiverPoint friends who helped us move in! They all prayed over our house that it would be a place of peace, ministry and refuge. Alyssa & Britton brought us a pineapple! (the symbol for hospitality)
• The day after moving in: Our neighbors across the street, a retired couple, brought us a box of donuts for breakfast!!!! (OK, that never happens. That was an amazing blessing! I mean, is this Mayberry or what???!!!)
• The kids swam in the cold pool. It was about 75-80 outside at the warmest but they're determined to get some use out of it this year. Then the Hiebert boys came over to check it out for themselves. Then we all broke out into the song from Annie... ♫♫♫ I think I'm gonna like it here!!! :)

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his

is purpose.

Romans 8:28

Sal's Staging Tips

In 13 years of marriage, I have sold 3 houses.  This will be the 4th.  I have learned a lot about how to stage a house to sell and I thought I would pass on tips that may inspire you to prettify your house even if you're not moving!   

1. DE-Clutter!!!  This means get all the crap that sits around with no purpose OUT!  You wouldn't believe how many houses I have looked at online that OMG have so much clutter laying around!  People can't tell how much room they have to put their crap there if you don't make space for them to see.   
2. DE-Clutter!!!  Yep I said it again.  Get 3 boxes for each level of the house or each room if you've collected a LOT, and label them "Trash", "Give-Away" & "Store".  There should be more trash & give-away than storage, but I'm not the boss of you.  
3. Curb Appeal.  This is really where you start, in case you get drive-by's before you get showings.  They want to see if the outside is taken care of, and if it's not, they'll just keep driving.  This doesn't mean you have to expensively landscape, so here's what I did:  mow (well brad did, not me actually), hose down front of house, wash front windows, put fresh potted flowers at the entrance, with as many colors as you can.  Clean the junk off the porch & put the trash cans in the back.  Leave a few chairs where they can envision themselves hanging out on the porch in the evening with friends.
4. Take down all personal family pictures.  We decorate with pictures of our kids, so we have a lot to take down, but that cuts down on clutter, so it's good.  We put them under our bed, but if you're motivated to box them up, go ahead!
5. Think of your bedroom like a hotel room.  Simple is better.  Make as much space on the floor as possible.  Same with the bathroom.  Nothing on the counters.
6. Dining room:  Set the table with dishes, placemats, nice glasses & a centerpiece. (candle)
7. Kitchen:  TAKE OFF the magnets & junk on the fridge.  Shine up the appliances & sink.  Use Murphy's Oil to shine up the cabinets.  Clear the countertops!
8. Appeal to all 5 senses:  Candles or Wallflowers for smelling, turn down the AC, put a dish of chocolates out where the info for your house is, and turn on quiet classical music in the iHome or stereo.
9. Clean!  Clean!  Clean!  Yuck.  I hate this part.  If I had the money, I'd hire it done in the beginning, and then keep it clean until it sells.  With kids this really stinks, but here's the rules in our house right now:  When you wake up, make your bed!  If you get out a toy, put it back, if you eat, use paper plates & clean up after yourself!  Easy, obvious stuff you'd think, but well....no.  So here are my favorite cleaning tricks to use: 

• Magic Erasers:  there are even generic brands that work, and they clean the gunk off of the kitchen sink, the bathroom sinks & the bathtub!  It even cleans boogers off the wall.  (Luke had a "Booger Wall of Fame" in his last room where he didn't feel like getting up to get a kleenex.  Lovely.)
• Clorox Wipes:  Keep them handy in the bathroom & kitchen for countertops & kid muck.
• Windex Wipes:  Keep them handy in the bathroom & kitchen for shining sinks & mirrors...quickly!
• Pledge Wipes:  You got it!  Keep them handy in your bedroom & living room for dusting last minute particles off the wood.  This is when you realize how many little trinkets need dusting, and really just need to be given away for someone else to dust!
• Swiffers: wet & dry!  Love these little inventions, so easy to wipe away dust from wood floors or clean the tile!  
• Keep that Dyson ready to vacuum, but our favorite tool is our little Dustbuster to clean up after the messiest eater in our household right now and you know who I'm talking about!  The Daddy.  of course. 

So to sum it up, in the last 30 minutes before someone barges in to violate your personal space, run around like a crazy person picking up anything out that's not supposed to be, shine up sink faucets, wipe out sinks with dry towel, flush the toilet, fluff pillows, dustbust floor, light candles & run away to pray, and maybe get an ice cream cone too.  

Little House

We moved. Our new home is the coziness. We live in a 1921 bungalow style house, with the original wood floors and thick wood trim. It's like having a part in history. It has a huge front porch, that I imagine has heard many a conversation about life, our country and the pursuit of happiness. Our little town is so quiet. With the exception of the occasional train, which is far enough away to only be a bit of background noise....there's total silence. We used to live close enough to about 15 restaurants that we could smell them nearby when we walked out the door. Now there are 4 in town, and out our door I smell nothing but the old trees, and the leaves that have fallen around them. I love it here. Our church family has been so great to help us with this huge endeavor. Last night, door open, friends came in and out just to say hi and such. I hope the door is always open, and this house is a place of warmth & friendship for many years to come.

Small World Weirdness

Everywhere I go, since I moved back to Kansas, I see people I think I recognize. How can I figure out if I know them, when they could have sat next to me in 1st grade or even 8th? I don't have the ability to age-enhance their face in my mind, so I just leave it to....oh well, that must have been someone I could have once known. And when I can't bring things forward in my memory, it makes me CRAZY!!!

Here's a fun quiz to try from People Magazine, which will make you empathize more with my dilemma....

AND....."It's a small world after all." has been the theme of the month. Here's one example: My junior high friend went to college at Baylor and was roommates with the wife of my first boyfriend in high school. Weird.

Talk about 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon

BIG DREAMS, itty bitty apartment

Okay. Here's the tired-achy-body, still-a-few-boxes-left- view from here.

Our apartment is very sweet, very cozy, with plenty of room in each bedroom, even for my beloved King size bed! My sister in law helped me with the kitchen (Thank you Terri!) and it's now named by Luke as "Le Cafe Martin, II". My signature sign hangs above the kitchen table, "In Everything Give Thanks". During the reality of "what can we fit in here, and what will store until who knows when?", I just clung (is that the past tense of cling? surely not clinged?) to that sign, hanging on for dear life. Okay not for dear life. It's just stupid stuff, for goodness sake. Why the drama?

Anyway, we feel extremely blessed that God picked the right place for us, seeing as we didn't see ONE picture before we got here, or have any idea if it was nice or...not. (Nope, no website.) I was happy to see that the first place we called in this town, which -thank-you-GOD- didn't answer the phone, reminded me of my old church camp cabins, except the camp actually took better care of the lawns.
Thanks God. Nice save.

Coffee still brews morningly and nightly. Ya'll come see us. We'll leave the light on for ya.

"As for me and my apartment, we will serve the Lord."

Packing Pause

Can you believe it? I'm alone. I'm supposed to be packing. I'm procrastinating. Only a few things remain on the walls, and the kitchen is the only room left to disassemble. All of those breakables.....sigh. I'm not looking forward to that. Why do I have crystal? ...That I never use? What a waste. Looking forward to a simpler life....

Have I praised God lately for all that is happening in His time? .... for His sovereignty, His provision, His protection, His peace?!! He's showing off a lot for us these days! He's so loving and good. He's more than enough of everything I could ever need in life.

Pray for the place where God is moving us. He knows who is already there, and why we're going there. It is obvious God wants more from us than we thought. Pray He'll guide us clearly to those who need us to be Jesus to them. Pray He'll help us to see His Kingdom through His eyes. I'm praying with Psalm 145 today.

The Lord is faithful to all His promises and loving toward all He has made. The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food at the proper time. You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all His ways and loving toward all He has made. The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them. The Lord watches over all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy. My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. Let every creature praise His Holy Name for ever and ever.

House Party

My favorite verse was in the sidebar today, perfect for my birthday. It's been a celebratory day full of "Thank you, Lord!" 's and "Woo-hoo!"'s.

Our house is sold. God is So Good. I've been praying for that perfect family, and that God would work out all of their details, and in His very perfect timing, with His very perfect love, He's once again reached down and kissed me on the cheek. It was sold to my dear friend. I pray this will be her castle. I pray that she'll be blessed here. I love that Luke's & Grace's friends will get to play on their swingset in the backyard and sleep peacefully in their prayer-covered rooms. Love dwells here because it's not our house, it's God's. He worked things out for the good of those who love Him, and we're thankful. And speaking of that....

..my cousins, Bryce, Kara & Zane called tonight and found out that they are moving to Kansas, too!

Kansas Invasion: Friday, May 25th

Blogworthy Email

This is an email from someone I once met 34 years ago, tomorrow. The moment I looked at her, I knew she was someone special. Amazingly, she knew what I needed before I even asked. Her life has blessed mine every day since that one.

Thanks Mom for "regifting" Words I needed today.

I just found this on lovely stationery--that you sent to me when Grandma was soooo sick.

But as God does with His word---scripture is GOOD all the time---especially in time of transition--not always knowing the future, EXCEPT that you're obeying your heavenly Father.

Here are the verses you sent to me:
You will keep her in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because she trust in You. Trust in the Lord forever. For Jehovah, the Lord is everlasting strength. ISaiah 26. 3 & 4

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, YES, I will help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. Isaiah 41.10

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble (trouble = anything that might cause anxiety/stress). God is within her, she will not fall---(even while moving) God will help her at break of day (even if she's not a morning person). Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. Ps. 46: 1, 5, 10.

I love you xoxoxo Mom

Moving with Kids

Things I've learned from reading this book and others about moving with kids:

1) Keep as much consistency as possible in a kids' life.

2) Have disposable cameras for kids to take pics at every "last event" with friends.

3) Give them their own photo album to fill with pictures.

4) Let them plan a party to say good-bye to their closest friends.

5) Have them wear t-shirts their friends can sign, or a pillowcase would be fun, too!

6) Read books about moving like: "Big Ernie's New Home"
"The Berenstain Bears' Moving Day"
"The Moving Book: A Kids' Survival Guide"
"A New House: Activity book for 4-10 year olds"

6) Give out new addresses and emails asap so they'll have mail when they get there.

7) Let them help choose the new house and dream about how to decorate their new rooms.

8) Talk about all of the fun things they can do in their new town. (i.e. Go to the Park in the middle of town, Swim at the city pool during the summer, Sleepover with cousins that live nearby)

9) Pray for confidence and courage to meet new friends.

10) Trust God to work out all of the details in your life and the kids'.

"Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God"
--Corrie ten Boom

MI4

Your mission if you choose to accept it....

...homeschool 2 kids and keep the house spotlessly clean for at least one showing per day.

I was washing down mirrors, while doing laundry and listening to a book report, and heard this movie's theme song in my head. PLEEEEEEASE Pray that this next showing will be the one or that I will somehow become bionic woman overnight if it's not. Thanks for listening. I have to go vacuum now.

This mom's brain may self-destruct in 5,4,3,2....

Today

I don't like the fact that the word "testimony" conjures up the memory of when you first "asked Jesus into your heart" and then drives people to tell that story...and that story alone. Shouldn't we have a testimony every day?

My bible study lesson was a study of the characters in the Passion play and how each of them, after encountering Christ, went away telling other people about what He did....and the only way we can ever have a testimony of what God is doing in our lives is if we pray, watch for answers to those prayers and voila!...a testimony! God works miracles in all of our lives ALL the time, and yet because the world has made up the words: coincidence, fate, luck & (Disney's favorite)...wish, we decide to chalk it up to that. The challenge: Have a testimony Every Day!

Blessing #1
Today ws the last day at co-op & Luke won the spelling bee...competing vs. 3rd-5th graders. He told me that he prayed right before he started that God would help him, and that he'd praise him if he won and he'd praise him if he lost. (gulp.) He was so excited that he won! Wow. Thank you God, for that testimony & faith-increaser of the day.

Blessing #2
I've been praying for the man of her dreams to come into my friend, Rochelle's life for 4 years. One week ago today, I was with a mutual friend of ours and we prayed together for this very man. TODAY, I got an email with a picture of the cutest cowboy I've seen in a long time, and a request for prayer for a new committed relationship with this man of God that she just met last week. Oh My Gosh. I'm flipping out with JOY. I want to tell everyone. I'm already preparing my rehearsal dinner speech.

Blessing #3
I finished choreographing the "Joseph" medley for my Broadway class and it looks great! We have a 2 hour dress rehearsal next Monday, so even better! AND....I got a sweet card from one of my favorite students.

Blessing #4
Billy Ray Cyrus actually danced well tonight! (My KIDS favorite on Dancing with the Stars!)

Blessing #5
There was a beautiful bachelorette on THE BACHELOR tonight and she was homeschooled until high school and.....(drumroll, please!) SHE WASN'T WEIRD! She was awesome and cool and so pretty and so real. The best part was that even though, she was kicked off (probably because she was too "conservative") she didn't cry all over the place, but said "God is in control. I'm not." Praise God for another great testimony of how God can be glorified when truth is spoken and stood up for in His name.

Because of these blessings, I can take the news from my realtor that the "interested" family who came back for the 2nd look on Saturday, went with another house. I will keep making my bed every morning, because He is faithful. And after a day like this, I can't wait until tomorrow!

A Good Friday

5 SHOWINGS today!!! I think this is about 16 or 17 now in the 10 days on the market. 2 interested families, 1 couple is coming back tomorrow for a 2nd look! That's a good sign! Wow! We've had to be creative, getting out of the house.

9:30 woke up, had coffee (no school today, YAY!)
10:10 found voicemail that said 10:30 now, not 11, went into hyperspeed pick-up mode
10:30 went for brunch at Dennys
12 back home to switch out laundry, & brad to take fastest shower ever
12:20 take lawn mower back to friend, Jeff
12:30 to Kohl's to look for Easter clothes (for warmer than usual temps)
2 to Starbucks for caffiene intakes
2:15 went to Barnes & Noble, read books....look at these sweet babies.....


3 ate lunch/dinner (Lunner?) at Corner Bakery
4 back home to get ready for Passion Play performance

So thankful for this day that means this empty old shell of me, worthless & restless, can be filled up with the breath of God, and given new life, worth, rest & hope because of the blood of Jesus, shed for me, little ol' me.

A Wife's Perspective

My Grandma told me several times when I was dating Brad that he could be a preacher! "He could!", she'd say. "He has the personality of a pastor."

So I shouldn't have been so surprised when, back in October, Brad told me he felt called to be a lead pastor in a church. It's a natural transition actually, although probably not the most common among music ministers. I've heard Brad preach every Wednesday night for the past 10 years, during "devotion" time in choir. Brad's devotions always became sermons on worship or whatever God was teaching him in the moment. His choir has been his church. As their pastor, he has loved on, and cared for them , visited many in the hospital, and had a huge part in their lives.

I have prayed for a long time that I could be near family, and I think after Brad's dad passed away in December of '05, he felt the same. So this new calling brought much excitement at the possiblity of going "home". We both grew up in Kansas, but then we could also say the same about Texas. Our babies are little "native Texans". We've spent our married lives here, made many memories and many more friends.

We look forward to ministering to our own family as well as our church family there. Halstead is a small town, 20 minutes from Brad's Mom, my brother & Brad's sister. "Coincidentally" (which really isn't but it's fun to say), my SISTER, Carrie, is moving to Wichita from Colorado Springs, as I now type. Her husband recently got a job at the same bank Brad's Mom works at. My parents are still 3 hours away, but with all 3 of their kids and grandkids in the same town....you know we'll see them often.

There are only 5 evangelical churches in the county where Halstead is, and even those aren't trying to reach the lost. Brad feels called to start a church that's NOT for Christians. So many people are turned off by what the church has become known for, or even more specifically, what they are Against. It's become our hearts desire to start a church with the simple mission of being Jesus to the people we meet every day. We've learned so much from the churches we've served in, and the pastors we've served under. Pastor Sam started our church here 19 years ago, with 6 families. What better mentor for God to bring into Brad's life for such a time as this?!

I'm stressed with the business of keeping the house clean. (we've had 2 showings since Wed, and 2 more this weekend!) I'm all about the details, so I'm making list after list after list.... Okay, so I'm a little freaky. I have a dot to dot on my face and I cry at the littlest thing, but.....

God is so good. How can I be anything other than thankful?