I'm thankful for...
...Jesus Christ, and my identity in Him.
...The love of my precious wife, Jaime, and the joy of co-raising our two adorable children.
...Our new house that keeps us warm, and Jaime's ability to make a house a home.
...Our new church family, that could NOT possibly be more loving, supporting or encouraging.
...A great thanksgiving weekend in Memphis with extended family: way too much to eat, our annual football game outside, and a new annual tradition: a late Friday night basketball game in White Station C of C's brand new gym.
...the life and witness of Prentice Meador, and the rock-hard faith of his family who were all at Otter Creek this morning...demonstrating their faith in a sovereign God whose will is perfect.
...Starbucks' Christmas blend (but I still believe Dunkin Donuts coffee is better any day of the week.)
...cool temps and the promise of snowfall!
...MUSIC to help celebrate Christmas: Selah's version of "O Holy Night", Amy's myriad of Christmas releases, Sara Groves' new Christmas album, and Go Fish's song "It's About the Cross".
God, You are so good. May Your Name be forever praised.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
The Gates of Splendor
A legend of the faith, Prentice Meador, passed through the gates of splendor early today into the arms of Jesus after 70 years of faithful service on earth. I can only imagine the party going on in Heaven.
But for us who remain, we will sift through shock, grief, disappointment (to put it mildly) and anger in the days to come. We will celebrate in due time, no doubt. What a life well lived.
Join me in praying for Barbara and for Prentice's large extended family.
www.prayforprentice.com for funeral arrangements and a chronicle of the last few days.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.
(And as a movement, I think we need about 10 men and/or women to rise up and take up the mission of preaching and teaching...Prentice leaves some huge shoes to fill!)
But for us who remain, we will sift through shock, grief, disappointment (to put it mildly) and anger in the days to come. We will celebrate in due time, no doubt. What a life well lived.
Join me in praying for Barbara and for Prentice's large extended family.
www.prayforprentice.com for funeral arrangements and a chronicle of the last few days.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.
(And as a movement, I think we need about 10 men and/or women to rise up and take up the mission of preaching and teaching...Prentice leaves some huge shoes to fill!)
Friday, November 21, 2008
To our North Central Church family in Indianapolis
This is both a THANK YOU note to all of those who helped us move from Indy to Nashville…and a WHAT I MISS about North Central.
Thank you…
Mark Winter, you headed up the effort. Thank you for using your clout to recruit great workers. You then worked like a champ yourself; if you hadn't brought your tools, I think we would still be there.
Jerry Barnes, Doctor, you made a master plan for the move that gave some order to the chaos. Thankfully, because of your skillful planning, we got everything on the truck. I apologize again for being late. Thank you for insisting that we pack all of the boxes first! You were right!
Sherry Winter, Sherry Sigo: My dear sisters in Christ. You attacked the kitchen and didn't let any unpacked shelf or cabinet slow you down. You helped me get the pantry packed up, so we don't have to start from scratch down here. Thanks also for the M & M's toward the end when we were waning. Those helped me power through until midnight getting all of the little stuff done around the house. Thank you for your "moving graces"; meaning, and I've said this before myself…there's NOTHING worse than agreeing to help move someone, and then you get there, and they are not ready! What a pain. You ladies powered through and helped us pack up all of the stuff we left out in order to show our house better and all of the cabinets we just didn't get done before we left last month. Thank you.
Lisa Henderson, Jen Cirrincione, Kelly Dean, Beth Carter: You came over one evening in September and packed up 98% of our kitchen and all of our china. (We left a few pieces out to help it show better.) NOT A SINGLE PIECE got broken. Thank you so much for your diligence and friendship. (and Kelly was 8 months pregnant! )
Charles Jeffers, Jim Sigo, John Brehm, Jordan Brehm & Jeremy Brehm: You guys used your "hoss-ness" to wrestle that piano onto the truck without a scratch. You also moved the beds and everything else, and I appreciate your good smiling attitudes during the evening. You never once slowed down or saw a box or piece of furniture that worried you. You just powered through.
Ed Johnson: you came to the rescue just as some of us were losing our strength and jumped in on the heavy stuff. Thank you! You stayed until the bitter end, and you made me laugh at my own hair, which is always a good thing.
Wayne & Lauren Harless, you guys were incredible! Lauren, your sweet personality and helpful spirit were such a blessing. Thank you for helping me clean up the mess in the laundry room where the washer had been. And thanks also for your help in cleaning out our fridge. Wayne, your calm demeanor and willing heart were such a blessing, and I appreciate the many many trips you made from the house to the van with heavy boxes of books. (Wayne, I still remember one of your very thoughtful communion comments & prayers. You do such a great job at that.)
Kim, Anthony & Andrew Faulds – thanks for coordinating the pizza dinner! It was nice to have you there for support and encouragement, and for the many boxes and items you made sure got on the truck. We can't wait for your visit down here, and hope its very soon.
Deanna Flowers – thanks for helping provide the pizza, and for being there for moral support! I am blessed to have you as a mother-in-law. Your support and encouragement means the world to us. We also look forward to your first visit to Nashville.
Now, what I miss about North Central:
To avoid making this the world's longest blog post, I'm going to be as brief as possible.
1. The people. The church family there is so tightly woven, yet you have a heart for people outside the circle, so well demonstrated by your We Care We Share mantra. Now that's worship.
2. The worship team, you guys are so gifted and encouraging and inspiring. Ken Evens, you stand out as "the tenor who sang every Sunday" and I've told Otter Creekers about your commitment, holding you up as an example.
3. The men's covenant group.
4. Sherry Sigo, there will never be a better scheduler / singer / sound woman. You were a dear friend as well. I'm doing my own scheduling now, and I'm feeling your pain.
5. My Sunday morning rides in with David (our friendship as a whole, but especially those talks.) I expect you & Lynette to stop & see us on one of your many trips south to the bayou.
6. David's calm and thorough approach with the Word. In your sermons, you always made the Bible accessible to all, but challenging for those of us who needed it.
7. Ben – you are an incredibly gifted leader. Worship leadership is just one of those. I learned a lot from you. What a joy to know you are leading now, and helping the church worship God in spirit and in truth with excellence. I miss our friendship.
8. The elders – it was SUCH a blessing to work with a group of men who were so like minded, and who loved each other so much, and who loved the church so much. Our prayer times during elders' meetings are a cherished memory.
9. The staff – oh my word, Dawn, if you get any more efficient, you're going to work everyone else out of a job. :) You are amazing! You are a prayer warrior and I thank you for including me in some of those. Lisa, I appreciated your great work but also your wit, and heart for people. More than once you made me think about our ministry approach overall because of your perspective. Sara, you are very wise, and very good at what you do. Thank you for lending your precise gifts to the church for such a time as this. Jason, you are always smiling and are doing such an awesome job with the teens. You can thank me later for leaving, since now you have my old macbook pro. ;) Kathy, your heart for the children is amazing, keep up the great work! (Debbie, I know you are not officially on staff, but your work with We Care We Share is truly inspiring, and that ministry defines NC for the community.)
10. Sonshine Preschool – Miss Sharon and Miss Marcy and Miss Tiffany and Miss Sarah! Faith misses all of you, as we all do. Miss Marcy, you especially won Faith's heart early last year.
I'll stop there, and I'm sure I've inadvertently left someone off, so please forgive me.
We're all moved in, and the kids are doing well. Please come see us sometime!
Thank you…
Mark Winter, you headed up the effort. Thank you for using your clout to recruit great workers. You then worked like a champ yourself; if you hadn't brought your tools, I think we would still be there.
Jerry Barnes, Doctor, you made a master plan for the move that gave some order to the chaos. Thankfully, because of your skillful planning, we got everything on the truck. I apologize again for being late. Thank you for insisting that we pack all of the boxes first! You were right!
Sherry Winter, Sherry Sigo: My dear sisters in Christ. You attacked the kitchen and didn't let any unpacked shelf or cabinet slow you down. You helped me get the pantry packed up, so we don't have to start from scratch down here. Thanks also for the M & M's toward the end when we were waning. Those helped me power through until midnight getting all of the little stuff done around the house. Thank you for your "moving graces"; meaning, and I've said this before myself…there's NOTHING worse than agreeing to help move someone, and then you get there, and they are not ready! What a pain. You ladies powered through and helped us pack up all of the stuff we left out in order to show our house better and all of the cabinets we just didn't get done before we left last month. Thank you.
Lisa Henderson, Jen Cirrincione, Kelly Dean, Beth Carter: You came over one evening in September and packed up 98% of our kitchen and all of our china. (We left a few pieces out to help it show better.) NOT A SINGLE PIECE got broken. Thank you so much for your diligence and friendship. (and Kelly was 8 months pregnant! )
Charles Jeffers, Jim Sigo, John Brehm, Jordan Brehm & Jeremy Brehm: You guys used your "hoss-ness" to wrestle that piano onto the truck without a scratch. You also moved the beds and everything else, and I appreciate your good smiling attitudes during the evening. You never once slowed down or saw a box or piece of furniture that worried you. You just powered through.
Ed Johnson: you came to the rescue just as some of us were losing our strength and jumped in on the heavy stuff. Thank you! You stayed until the bitter end, and you made me laugh at my own hair, which is always a good thing.
Wayne & Lauren Harless, you guys were incredible! Lauren, your sweet personality and helpful spirit were such a blessing. Thank you for helping me clean up the mess in the laundry room where the washer had been. And thanks also for your help in cleaning out our fridge. Wayne, your calm demeanor and willing heart were such a blessing, and I appreciate the many many trips you made from the house to the van with heavy boxes of books. (Wayne, I still remember one of your very thoughtful communion comments & prayers. You do such a great job at that.)
Kim, Anthony & Andrew Faulds – thanks for coordinating the pizza dinner! It was nice to have you there for support and encouragement, and for the many boxes and items you made sure got on the truck. We can't wait for your visit down here, and hope its very soon.
Deanna Flowers – thanks for helping provide the pizza, and for being there for moral support! I am blessed to have you as a mother-in-law. Your support and encouragement means the world to us. We also look forward to your first visit to Nashville.
Now, what I miss about North Central:
To avoid making this the world's longest blog post, I'm going to be as brief as possible.
1. The people. The church family there is so tightly woven, yet you have a heart for people outside the circle, so well demonstrated by your We Care We Share mantra. Now that's worship.
2. The worship team, you guys are so gifted and encouraging and inspiring. Ken Evens, you stand out as "the tenor who sang every Sunday" and I've told Otter Creekers about your commitment, holding you up as an example.
3. The men's covenant group.
4. Sherry Sigo, there will never be a better scheduler / singer / sound woman. You were a dear friend as well. I'm doing my own scheduling now, and I'm feeling your pain.
5. My Sunday morning rides in with David (our friendship as a whole, but especially those talks.) I expect you & Lynette to stop & see us on one of your many trips south to the bayou.
6. David's calm and thorough approach with the Word. In your sermons, you always made the Bible accessible to all, but challenging for those of us who needed it.
7. Ben – you are an incredibly gifted leader. Worship leadership is just one of those. I learned a lot from you. What a joy to know you are leading now, and helping the church worship God in spirit and in truth with excellence. I miss our friendship.
8. The elders – it was SUCH a blessing to work with a group of men who were so like minded, and who loved each other so much, and who loved the church so much. Our prayer times during elders' meetings are a cherished memory.
9. The staff – oh my word, Dawn, if you get any more efficient, you're going to work everyone else out of a job. :) You are amazing! You are a prayer warrior and I thank you for including me in some of those. Lisa, I appreciated your great work but also your wit, and heart for people. More than once you made me think about our ministry approach overall because of your perspective. Sara, you are very wise, and very good at what you do. Thank you for lending your precise gifts to the church for such a time as this. Jason, you are always smiling and are doing such an awesome job with the teens. You can thank me later for leaving, since now you have my old macbook pro. ;) Kathy, your heart for the children is amazing, keep up the great work! (Debbie, I know you are not officially on staff, but your work with We Care We Share is truly inspiring, and that ministry defines NC for the community.)
10. Sonshine Preschool – Miss Sharon and Miss Marcy and Miss Tiffany and Miss Sarah! Faith misses all of you, as we all do. Miss Marcy, you especially won Faith's heart early last year.
I'll stop there, and I'm sure I've inadvertently left someone off, so please forgive me.
We're all moved in, and the kids are doing well. Please come see us sometime!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Looking for Jaime's blog?
www.journalforjaime.blogspot.com
We decided that I would retake this blog as my online journal about worship / life / etc. and Jaime would move her much much better blog to her new site: www.journalforjaime.blogspot.com
We apologize for the inconvenience!
Check back later for a post to the North Central Church of Christ family!
We decided that I would retake this blog as my online journal about worship / life / etc. and Jaime would move her much much better blog to her new site: www.journalforjaime.blogspot.com
We apologize for the inconvenience!
Check back later for a post to the North Central Church of Christ family!
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