Monday, October 29, 2007

For My Husband...

October is "Minister Appreciation Month." We had a special service last night at church to recognize all the different ministries at church and the people who make them tick. We are so blessed to have such a good group of workers at New Life. Thank you all for everything you do!

Christy thought that she and I should recognize James and Darren so I just wanted to share with the world the words I shared with the congregation last night about Darren. I love him so much and I'm so proud of him!

Read on.....

"When Christy said she thought she and I should recognize James and Darren I told her that I hoped this week was better than last or I might not have very nice things to say

Ours is a story of God’s careful grooming and growing.

But in all seriousness, if someone had told me in high school that I would be married to a preacher I would have laughed myself silly.

Darren and I met in 1986. Up until that time I had no church background. I knew the basics, attended VBS during the summer and occasionally went to church with my grandmother. Darren, of course, had been raised in church and his mother, though she wouldn’t admit it today, thought I was a very corrupt influence on her sweet, innocent baby. Because of Darren I started attending church at Mt. Carmel and he baptized me into Christ late one night in 1987.

If not for Darren I’m not sure where I would be today. He led me to Christ. Darren will tell you that he would not have married me had I not become a Christian and I will tell you that I would not have married him if I knew he was going to be a preacher.

After we married in 1988 we sort of “played” church for a while. We looked and sounded good but our hearts weren’t right. We worked with the kids at Mt. Carmel but only managed to show up for Sunday School one year when we forgot to change our clocks. Quite simply, we were not sold out to Christ. Not even close.

Then in 1993 Jarrod was born and we began to get our act together. In 1995 my mom called me and asked me to type up an advertisement their church could send to KCC since they were looking for a preacher. I mentioned it to Darren and after a lot of thought and prayer he said “You know, I think this is what God wants me to do.”

Now this is where I began to see God’s growth in our lives. It was funny to me that something that scared me to death and seemed crazy to me when we married 7 years earlier, suddenly made perfect sense.

So he applied for the job at Blue Licks and got it and thus began our lives in the ministry. He was preaching and working full time laying carpet and I was also working full time. During these years Darren really wanted me to quit my job and come home but I resisted and vehemently defended my job saying that there was no way we could make it without my income. And then 7 years after he started preaching, in 2002 he came to me and said he had decided to quit his job and go to Bible College because he wanted to preach full-time.

Now again, I saw God’s continued growth of my faith. Where I had previously insisted we couldn’t live without my income I now believed that we would be able to make it without our primary source of income. When he told me I don’t think I ever hesitated or questioned his decision. It was like “Okay, whatever you want to do. No big deal. God will take care of us.”

Darren left his job in August of 2002 and started bible college at Sonshine School of Evangelism. On paper, this should never have worked. We were prepared to sell our house and do whatever we had to do to allow him to go to school, but as it turned out we didn’t have to do anything. God was so good. We had the help of friends and family and several sister congregations, including you guys here at New Life, and we were able to make it through two years of schooling without having to sacrifice anything.

I have watched my husband grow in so many areas of his life over the course of this journey. He has grown in knowledge, character, and compassion and I am so proud of him. I am proud of the stand he takes for Christ and the fact that he puts God before everything else in his life. Darren has so many qualities that I envy. He has a wonderful gift for teaching and I never get tired of listening to him. I love the fact that he is always ready to teach or speak at a moment’s notice. He is a man of great vision with big plans for the Lord’s church here at New Life. As some of you who have butted heads with him know, he has big ideas and he won’t take no for an answer. He believes that anything is possible with hard work and commitment and he has the ability to see only the positive things. He is always putting others before himself and stands ready to listen, give advice or just be a sounding board if you need an ear to bend. He has the most wonderful giving spirit and would gladly give a brother the shirt off his back if he needed it. In all these things and many more I wish I could be more like him. I am so proud of the husband he is; that he takes his role as the head of our household seriously and of how he provides and cares for our family. I am proud of the father he is to our children; that he encourages them and believes that they can be and do more than they themselves think possible. Most of all, I am proud of the man that he is; that he is a man of God who continually seeks the Father’s will and lives for Him even through life’s hurts and disappointments; that he seeks God first in everything and is the spiritual head of our family. I love him so much and I thank God for bringing him into my life and I only hope I can be the helpmate to him that God intended me to be. I don’t know what God has in store for us but I pray that He will continue to grow our faith, that He will use us in service to His kingdom, and that He will guide us in everything we do. I love you. I’m so proud of you and thank you for all you do."

Friday, October 26, 2007

So embarassing

I shared this story with the girls at work and they got a kick out of it so I thought the rest of you might enjoy it as well.....

Last Saturday Darren, Jarrod, Noah and I went to Morehead to eat at La Finca for my big birthday celebration. As everyone knows, it is a crime in the state of Kentucky to drive past a Wal-Mart without stopping so we ran in to pick up a few odds and ends. We made our selections..nothing fancy...just diapers and wipes, ink for my fax machine and a few other toiletries and proceeded to the checkout. Darren decided to go on out to the van while the boys and I checked out. I paid for our purchases and we started out the door and set off the alarm. The nice little greeter lady came over and determined that the box of ink had not been deactivated by the cashier so she gave us a free 2 liter bottle of pop and sent us on our way.

We were walking through the parking lot and came to the van. I could see Darren sitting in the front seat so I assumed he had the tailgate unlocked and ready for me but when I lifted the handle it was locked so I pecked on the back window and tried again....still locked. I knocked a little harder and still he didn't unlock it so I knocked again and still nothing. By this time I was getting a little aggravated. I looked at Jarrod and said, "Why isn't he unlocking the door?" and then I BANGED on the back window with my open hand. Darren popped upright in the seat just as Jarrod started toward the driver's side door. He stopped short and said, "Mom, that's not Dad." and took off. I looked around and sure enough OUR van was parked on down the way just a little. I went around to the drivers side door and this guy opened the door and stepped out. I was already opening my mouth to apologize when I recognized the fellow. It just so happens he is a long-time tax client. I laughed and told him that I was sorry and that I had mistaken his van for ours. He accused me of catching him asleep and waking him on purpose and we had a good laugh.

At first I was glad it was someone I knew but now I'm not so sure. I'm sure I'll get a ribbing from him everytime I see him now. It might have been better had it been someone I'll never see again.

I know some of you will be quick to chalk my mistake up to old age but in my defense his van was the same year, make model and color as ours so maybe I shouldn't feel so bad....but it was just SO embarassing.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

The BIG 4-0

Well, it's official. As of Sunday, October 21st I have joined the ranks of 40-somethings all over the world. It's funny, though. I know it's a major milestone but I just don't feel 40 and maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part, but I don't think I look or act 40 either. I guess it could be the fact that nearly all of my girlfriends are much younger. I'm counting on all you girls to keep me young and fresh!

Thankfully it was an uneventful day. The worst that happened was Danny having the whole church sing "Happy Birthday" to me. At least he didn't announce my age. Of course, Jennie Paige couldn't let the opportunity pass and let out at nice, loud "Lordy, lordy look who's forty." Thanks, JP.

While I may be 40 according to my birth certificate I'm sticking to this premise: "Age is a state of mind. 40 is only a number."

Friday, October 19, 2007

My Baby Is Three!

I can hardly believe it, but it's true. Noah turned three on Tuesday. It seems like only yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital. sigh...

We partied with family on Saturday afternoon and he got lots of Thomas the Tank toys which have kept him very busy. I wish you all could hear him say "Thomas the Tank Engine." It's so cute!

It's hard to believe how much he has changed in the last year. He's gotten taller, talks ALL the time and says some of the cutest things but some things haven't changed. He's still a BIG mommy's boy and he is still showing absolutely NO INTEREST in potty training. I think this kid will be in diapers when he is 30. I've told him that it will look better on his resume if he can say that he is potty trained but he just doesn't seem to be heeding my advice. My nephew, Eli, who is 7 weeks older than Noah and has been potty trained for a LONG time even took him to the bathroom with him and said, "I'll show you how." but that didn't work either. He just doesn't care. Oh well, I guess he'll do it when he's ready. I just hope it's sometime before I have to start buying diapers for myself. Call me selfish, but I would just like to enjoy a "diaper-free lifestyle" for a little while!

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

HiHo HiHo It's Off to Work I Go

Well, today was my first day back to work in nearly 3 years (if you don't count taxes, being a preacher's wife, and a full-time wife and mother). As I've mentioned, we are doing the Dave Ramsey "Total Money Makeover" thing and wanted to drum up some more cash so I decided to return to work at the same attorney's office where I worked prior to Noah's birth. I'm working Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 to 4:30.

So, I arrived at 8:30 this morning and I have to say it was as though I hadn't been gone a day, much less three years. Of course, that could have something to do with the fact that I had worked that job for 18 years prior to leaving. I rather enjoyed myself and the day went by fairly quickly.

Noah is going to daycare at the home of one of the girls who goes to church with us. He was excited about going and didn't cry when I left. Kandi said he cried himself to sleep at naptime but other than that he had a good day. We were ready for some separation. I think it will be good for him to be with other kids and be away from me for a while.

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Bible Bowl Competition

We travelled to Lexington today for our first Bible Bowl competition of the season. We have two upper division teams and one beginner team this year. Our text is the book of John; 1, 2, 3 John; and 1, 2 Peter for the upper division and the book of John for the beginners.

We are very proud of our teams. They represented New Life well today and all their hard work and study really paid off. In the upper division New Life A had a record of 5 wins and 1 loss and placed third (they were only 10 points behind the 2nd place team) and New Life B had a record of 4 wins and 2 losses (their losses were to the 1st and 2nd place team) and they were only a few points behind the third place team.

Our beginners really did awesome (of course, as their coach I'm somewhat partial)! The beginner division in Lexington is VERY competitive and our kids really came to play today. They had a record of 5 wins and 2 losses and both of their losses were by a very small margin. In both cases they were neck and neck until the 13th question (there are only 15 questions in a game). I'm so proud of Austin, Dustin, Nate and Jacob that I could bust!

Congrats to all the New Life Bible Bowlers. If you see these guys be sure to give them a pat on the back.