j group in our house!

This past Wednesday, we started the North Paulding High School journey group for freshmen at our house! It was great. We had 33 freshmen plus leaders. We grilled hot dogs and hamburgers and watched four football players eat bananas with panty hose on their face :) A little ping pong. A little air hockey. And a plan to influence North Paulding for Christ this year. We have some great kids and leaders in this group; and we're looking forward to seeing God do great things!!

happy birthday brian!

Brian is 44, and I get to write about him today! There are so many things I love about Brian; I will share a few of them.
He makes me laugh--still. I just like being with him all the time. I never get sick of him.
He shares his day off with me :) and says it's my day off too. He is very unselfish.
He is a great dad. He tells our boys that they've got what it takes.
He is authentic. He is the same person at home that he is on a stage.
As our church has grown, Brian's role has changed into more of a visionary/leader/CEO, but he still has a pastor's heart that really cares for people.
He has great legs.
He is remarkably clean. He definitely flosses his teeth more than almost anyone I know.
His laugh is contagious. I love to hear him around his brother Kevin. I know he's getting a good dose of laughter.
He runs and works out; he has always been a healthy eater.
He is a risk taker, and is not afraid of change.
He has genetically transferred the love of baseball to our boys.
He is a driven, passionate leader, and he strives to do things with excellence.
We have the same personality type. (ENFJ)
Growing up in a flower shop family, he has a green thumb; he buys me flowers and arranges them.
He is great with directions. (He bought me a GPS because I am directionally challenged :)
He loves God and remains faithful.
Brian, I love you more each year! You were worth waiting for! Happy birthday!

meet me in the hallway

This is the first week of "back to school," and so I am trying a new idea with the boys. We made prayer lists together. These are short lists of prayer request for Monday-Friday. When we wake up in the morning, we are all getting our lists and our God time books (whatever we each happen to be reading) and we are meeting in the hallway! We only spend 6-8 minutes, but both boys have said that they value doing this.

This summer we talked about the Lord's prayer and how it is a model for us to pray. We talked about saying more to God than, "Thank you for a good day. Help us to have a good day tomorrow." We decided that we would praise, thank, confess, forgive, and ask like Jesus did in His prayer to His heavenly Father. Because we took the time to think about it and write it down in advance, we do not have to THINK early in the morning. We just pray for the things on our list for that day. We all made our own lists, but our lists include such things as family, sports, our president, Israel, the boys' future wives and children, hurting friends, wisdom, understanding, purity, our sponsored kids in Africa, college, etc.

I don't know how long this will last, but I am certainly enjoying it for now!

shoe bargain

I bought a pair of $56 shoes for $11.

That's what I'm talking about. :)

Lyin' about food and lion food

In First Kings chapter 13 there is a story of King Jeroboam who turned his heart towards false gods and led the people of Israel to offer sacrifices to pagan idols. A man of God was sent to speak God's message to King Jeroboam, and after he spoke, the king asked him to stay and eat. The man of God refused, saying that God had given him a specific instruction not to eat or drink while he was there. Later, on his way home, the man of God was approached by on old prophet who asked him to come to his house to eat. Although the man of God told the old prophet about God's instructions, the old prophet said that an angel had spoken to him and told him to give the man of God food and drink. The old prophet was lying, but the man of God, lacking discretion, went with him, ate and drank and disobeyed the Lord's command. On his way home, he was killed by a lion.

People may tell us that they have heard from God. Even "good" people may try to get us to let down our guard and minimize what God has clearly instructed us to do. May we be wise and determined as we keep our eyes set on following Him.

community makeover--wow!

God gets the glory for this weekend's community makeover! It was amazing. 35 churches came together and completed several hundred projects in the northwest Atlanta area. Home makeovers, painting, construction, school landscaping, feeding hungry people, etc. etc. Then, on Sunday night, we all came together to celebrate. Last year we had 5,000 people in the Sam's Club parking lot. This year they estimate almost twice that many. It was not about one church. It was about many churches, with different denominations and races coming together to change a community for Christ!

Brian spoke briefly, and told everyone that although they had worked so hard and completed so many projects, good works could never get us to heaven. Only Jesus Christ can do that! Many people stood and received Jesus as their way to heaven. I am so proud of Brian. This was not about him, but God did something in his heart several years ago that started Engage Atlanta, with the purpose of bringing Jesus-believing churches together to transform a community! I am so glad to be married to a man who is not afraid to lead. "Greater things are still to be done in this city!"

helium incident

We were eating at a Mexican restaurant this past weekend when Zach and his cousin were seeing how they could alter their voices by inhaling helium from the balloons in the restaurant. We all laughed as Zach, after inhaling the entire balloon, squeaked out funny phrases with his helium voice. Within a few moments, I called across the table to Zach to get his attention, and he did not hear me. I called his name again, a little louder this time, but he continued to stare with his head down and a freakish grin on his face. This time I yelled and he did not respond. I realized something was wrong so I got up and walked over to him and realized that he was not in control of himself, almost like he was having a seizure. It was really scary. Brian picked him up and we took him outside. He took some deep breaths as tears came down his face. He was a little dizzy, but he was fine. We could laugh later--and thank God. Lesson: don't inhale too much helium, especially if you have asthma :)