ARCHIVE GALLERY
March 2006
March 1, 2006
Last week we stayed in Mesa, AZ with Ed and Eloise Reed, snowbirds from Brighton, MI. When I was growing up, the Reeds would host a day of water skiing and boating at the lake home. Now, well into their 80’s, they are a blast to be around. I watched in amazement as Mr. Reed got out his coin collection from all parts of the world (he was a commercial pilot for TWA) and sat Indian style on the floor with the kids and taught them all about currency. I thought, what a great home school moment! He is a tutor and she loves to teach as well, so the kids were very loved from the moment we got there. They pampered us and treated us to a fabulous place called Organ Stop Pizza. An enormous Wurlitzer pipe organ comes out of the floor and the walls are wired with all kinds of instruments and lights. The organist (unbelievable) entertains for hours and we stayed for every bit of it. The kids requested songs (which included Phantom of the Opera’s Music of the Night) and were thrilled to watch and sing along. We even ran into a group of people who were at our concert the night before and we sat with them and their 3 kids! Ken and KC kept saying, “This is great!” We never knew organ music could be so addictive.
The week was filled with school, booking calls, replying to emails and visiting with the Reeds.
After saying goodbye, we headed to River Oaks Church of the Nazarene to meet Pastor Danny and Drenna (Indian name…although she is not) Dyer, and we immediately knew this was going to be fun. We set up the sound system on Saturday afternoon directly after a quick lunch my Aunt Jeannie and “Cousin Mel” (our official title for her as she is more than ten years older than me and “Dr. Mel” seemed to formal) who live in Mansfield. Honestly, the lunch was great, but that night at dinner with Pastor Danny and Drenna, the lunch did not like Randy. There we were, at a fabulous Mexican restaurant with sweet people we had just met and Randy spent the entire evening throwing up in the bathroom! He kept saying he was fine, and we had never had that happen before, so we did the best we could. That night I kept waking up praying for him and he got up Sunday morning feeling much better. Good thing too, because we went there to lead worship! Again, we were asking God to move in spite of us! And boy, did He ever! It was just a great service and the congregation was so warm and receptive, we decided to return on Wednesday night for their praise team practice. (we were invited to share about Holy Spirit led worship) It was a great week of meeting with people and encouraging them to follow the Lord’s plan for their life and church.
March 7, 2006
Sunday morning found us worshipping with First Church of the Nazarene of Fort Worth. Pastor CB and his wife, Becky along with the Bud and Sandy Hance (minister of music who plays a great trumpet) took us to dinner after the service with all of their kids! This seemed to me as a really laid back day and with the congregation worshipping with us as they did, it was comfortable and enjoyable. So many times while writing journal entries, I wonder how to convey what the service was like. I find myself using the same words and examples…but it is true! Most everywhere we go, we find people who love God and want to worship! Well, then, we are family.
During the week, we parked the motor home in the cultural district of Fort Worth. “On the Bricks” as people here say. The streets are made of red brick and several museums line the streets. Scott Preissler, a co-board member of The Evangelical Church Alliance, works for a ministry called, International Center for Steward Leadership. His passion is training denominations and church leaders about stewardship. They have a great building and library. The week was filled with more booking calls, school and more people.
We met Pastor Patrick MacGrew from Higher Praise Family Church and he invited us to lead worship for their mid-week service. It was just awesome to be with these people. Their prayer time before the service was very passionate and moving. Pastor MacGrew taught on meekness and, oh…it was fantastic. He talked about the difference between a “whippin’ and a whoopin” from mama and God! It was both hilarious and convicting at the same time!
During the prayer time, I noticed a man in a wheelchair with a leader dog off to the right. I do not know exactly what his situation was, but it was apparent that he had definite physical limitations. At one quiet point in the prayer service, he cried out to God in a voice that was very hard to understand, and said, “God, You are so good to me. You love me. You are coming again for me.” I sat in utter awe and praise for the Lord, as He let us in on this man’s hope and confidence. Later, as we were singing “Just to Know You, Lord”, he responded with cries of the heart that I will never forget. When we sang the line that says, “Just to know You, Lord I can face another day”, this man cried out, “Yes, Lord!” We went on to sing, “Just to know You, Lord, I could spread my wings and fly away”, and he yelled “Yes, Father!” My heart welled up with sadness as I take so much for granted, while truly wanting a thankful heart. It just made us stop and look for a moment at how God wants to set the captive free. One day, this man will walk and talk with Jesus and I am sure he will be soaring like the eagles.
On Friday, we had a bit of a laugh. We were back at River Oaks Church of the Nazarene to park in their lot and set up our computer and just kind of “spread out”! They have a wonderful gym where the kids rode their bikes and rollerbladed for hours on end! This was a drink of cold water for us, as we needed to be in a building and feel normal again. Anyway, KC went to use the restroom and returned balling his eyes out. “I am in so much trouble, Mommy, please don’t be mad!” After calming him down and holding him, I finally got out of him that the toilet in the men’s bathroom had overflowed. “STILL??” “YES!” Of course, I went running to find a toilet overflowing and 3 inches of water everywhere! Staying as calm as possible, (where is Randy you say? Out to lunch with the Pastor) I take off the lid of the commode and intend to grab the chain to stop the water. However, instead I grab the rubber water tube and it disconnects. The tube is dancing everywhere spraying water like an uncontrollable fire hose! In my face, all over the walls, all over my clothes and now I am screaming and laughing, not able to decide which is more appropriate. All the while thinking, “This is something I would see in a movie and wonder why the dumb girl didn’t just turn off the water.” Yeah, good idea, I turned off the water and spent the next hour mopping with the precious secretary who found it all quite amusing.
Then, I showered.
Sunday morning we worshipped with Arlington First Church of the Nazarene. This is the second time we have been with this loving congregation and although we have never met the Pastor in person we have enjoyed the friendship with his people. Randy and Marci (notice…one letter different than our names!) are on staff at the church and we just love them. Marci is the worship leader and she has a wonderful voice! Once again, the people welcomed us with open arms and hearts and worshipped with us…it was also great to have my aunt and cousin at the service, who live in near-by Mansfield.
When the service was over, I was able to visit with Susan Phillips, a precious lady whose son was killed in a car accident one year ago. Last year, we were honored to participate in his funeral. When Jared died, his son was 10 days old and I was so touched to watch the family come around this little baby. Obviously, it has been a tough year for Jared’s family and they still need our prayers. Thank you to all who lifted them up in prayer last year. Keep praying.
Another woman who especially caught my attention came to me after the concert and conveyed how the Lord has used our CD’s to minister to her. She told me that I will never know what a blessing the music has been to her and how she depends on that time of private worship to get her through the day. I cannot tell you what this does for me! We constantly ask the Lord to bring His church into personal times of worship and fellowship with His Spirit and this lady is a living example of answered prayer! I am not concerned with “whose” CD she plays, but the fact that she is worshipping!
From there we went to Burleson Church of the Nazarene about an hour away. We knew these people must be fun and loving because whenever any other Nazarene heard we were going there, they said, “Oh! You are gonna love them!” And we did! They joined in worship even though I think they really prefer a bit more country flavor than we were able to offer. We did our one token country song…the best we could! But they just joined in worship and welcomed us right into their church family. They have several home school families that attend the church and we met the Wallace family. I think they have 8 children and they all play instruments…really well. After the concert, several kids picked up their instruments and along with Randy and Kennedie (on the mic) they had their own jam session. Very talented, loving kids and it was an honor to meet them.
Monday we visited the Fort Worth Cowgirl Museum which was a great experience and then we went to the downtown Fort Worth Stockyards where everyday at 11:00 AM and 4:00 PM they bring a herd of longhorn steer down the middle of the road (see the pictures). We had one final dinner with Aunt Jeannie and Cousin Mel and then kisses goodbye. That ended our time in Fort Worth, Texas and we began the trip eastward on I-30 heading toward Memphis, Tennessee.
Tuesday night we stopped in Greenville, Texas for a little “spreading out time” …and pizza. We passed Crossroads Assembly of God Church and I commented to Randy that we should remember to make a contact with that church. We spent the night in a Wal-mart parking lot and pre-pared to hit the road. Randy decided to stop by Crossroads Church and meet the Pastor in person. He wasn’t in and was to be back in about two hours. Randy said, “I don’t know why, but I feel like we need to hang around and meet the Pastor today.” Long story short, at 1:00 PM he gave us the 7:00 PM service. It was awesome! Right away Pastor Allgood and his wife took us to lunch and we soon found how they love the Lord and their congregation. Great faith stories and lots of love surround them. It was a wonderful time of worship and not only that, but the church had built a “Guest Apartment” where we were able to stay on Wednesday night! A bathtub to SOAK the kids and have some breathing space! It was incredibly beautiful (as was the entire facility) and felt so good to sleep in a normal bed. Honestly, we love the traveling and we are so blessed with the motor home, but nothing can replace a real bathtub and bed! That night as we were laying in bed ready to fall asleep with soft lighting, a beautiful worship CD playing on a great stereo we began to laugh. Randy said, “You just never know what a day will bring.”
Now, part of me hesitates to write the next part because I am realizing that at times I care too much what others think…but I must tell you because God led us to Crossroads for much more than just a concert and a good night’s sleep. The following morning, Randy went into the church office to see if we could log on and check our emails (the never-ending problem of no online service in the RV) and the secretary immediately gave him her computer to use in the main reception area. As he was sitting there, a man came into the office asking for some assistance. He was out of money and needed a meal. He was loaded down with a backpack and several bags and was trying to get to Texarkana, about 140 miles away. He asked if she knew anyone going that way as a job was waiting for him there. We were going right through there after lunch. So we prayed and asked God for wisdom, as we are not in the practice of giving rides to people we don’t know. But we did know that God wanted us to take Troy to Texarkana. So, after lunch with Pastor Allgood and his wife, Barbara, we left for Texarkana. It was a trip filled with talking about how much God loves him and has a plan for his life. Troy knows about Jesus and admitted he had made some serious mistakes in life. Haven’t we all? It was a great day to love someone who needed to be shown some love and reminded of God’s free gift of salvation. We dropped Troy off after giving him sandwiches and fruit and prayed that God would intervene in his life and keep him on the right path.
A precious moment came when KC handed Troy a folded up picture that he drew and told him there was a “sursy” (our term for surprise) in it. We thought the picture was the sursy but when Troy opened it, a dollar fell out. Troy was taken back and told KC, “A lot of people have given me a dollar before, but none means as much as this one. Thank you, KC. Now I have four.” Knowing that KC went to his own wallet to bless Troy, which probably amounted to half of his savings, made us so proud as parents and thrilled to know that God is working on KC's heart as a little Christian and as a compassionate servant.
Please pray for Troy.
In Little Rock, Arkansas, we stopped at the Aerospace Education Center and viewed two Imax productions, “Magnificent Desolation,” (about traveling to the Moon) and “Into the Deep.” They were both just incredible and great educational tools for all of us! I have learned so much since home schooling!! We are so appreciative of the opportunity to take advantage of learning through seeing. Geography has become a love of mine since visiting the places we are learning about.
March 20, 2006
We arrived in Memphis on Saturday and met Pastor Mark Lancaster, his wife Vanessa (just adorable) and their son Josh (we met their daughter, Vicki on Sunday). They took us to dinner and then we unloaded and set up the sound system late Saturday night as the kids played in the beautiful gymnasium! The concert went well and right away we noticed, again, the southern hospitality. People are just so warm and welcoming. I loved when Pastor Mark opened up the altar for prayer and many people came forward to pour out their hearts to the Lord. It was a great day. The Lord’s Spirit made Himself known and many people responded to His leading. More answered prayer!
We will leave for Muskegon, Michigan tomorrow morning and we should get there on Thursday. Please continue praying for God’s plan for us along the way. We will be finishing up this extended tour with a weekend ladies retreat and a Sunday night concert at an area church.
We crossed the Michigan line during the wee hours of the morning and the kids were both asleep, of course. Every time we cross a new state line, we have a ceremony. One of the kids gets to countdown to the actual crossing of the line and then we all holler and applaud. It is one of those “family things” that will be embedded in their minds forever. It is like this silly “we’re on vacation” song that my parents made us sing whenever we took a trip. We always changed the words to fit the situation and today Randy and I do the same thing with Ken and KC. Anyway, the kids were sleeping, so when we crossed the line, Ran and I looked at each other, giggled and applauded just to keep the tradition alive. We didn’t travel ten thousand miles to miss the “home state ceremony.” (We figure that we have had upwards of about 70 of these state celebrations in the last three years.)
We got to Maranatha camp on Lake Michigan the next day and we were given a wonderful refurbished apartment complete with a kitchen and living room. It was fantastic to have some room to spread out. Randy set up the sound equipment for the retreat while I worked on school with the kids. It began to snow and I realized I had no winter jacket for me…didn’t think that far ahead.
We led worship for four sessions with the Cornerstone Evangelical Presbyterian Church ladies group. We have been with this group before and we feel right at home. This year, they had several people from other churches so it was a treat to meet them. The speaker was very funny and brought great spiritual challenges…everybody really enjoyed her.
One moment that was quite special for me was when a young lady came to Randy and I after the last session and asked permission to anoint us with oil and pray for us. This meant so much to me…the timing could not have been better. She asked the Lord to bless us, continue using us and expand our borders. Shauna will never know how the Lord used her that moment in my life. Very small to her, but huge to me. I hope she emails me…I would love to stay in contact with her.
Usually, we don’t have the kids with us for a retreat, but because it was the final weekend of our 3-month tour, they were there. If you have been reading my journal, you know our history with retreats and the kids getting sick.
KC threw up on Friday night.
Unbelievable.
We made it.
After saying goodbye to everyone Sunday morning, we went to River of Life Assembly of God not far from the Camp. Kimi met us and she made us feel so welcomed and a part of their church family. Her testimony is incredible and I was already blessed just hearing how God saved her.
The concert was really different for us because there were several who participated in the worship with their own tools of worship! We talk about this all time and this church does it! Several kids got up and praised the Lord with ribbons (they got Kennedie involved right away) while they danced and twirled. Lots of color and movement added to the atmosphere and others played tambourines and even a flute. It was a time of celebration even though the pastor’s wife felt bad for all of the “commotion.” I did wonder how smoothly the “challenge” portion would go and even considered eliminating it altogether. But, actually, they gave me their attention and everything turned out really well. The response was gratefulness that we had been there to worship with them and bring a challenge that was encouraging. It was a great way to end the tour.
We went back to the camp and spent one more night there before heading home. We could have made it home that night, but I have learned that getting home in the early part of the day is much more conducive to unpacking. I am a much happier wife and mom.