Debbie at Liberty

The Sin of Satan

2011-12-07T10:20:00.001-08:00

I'll let you know right now that these are not new concepts! Ecclesiastes states that there is nothing new under the sun. God uses amazing Bible scholars, communicators and teachers to speak truth into my life, all along with His Word.

A few years ago, I began what I would soon learn was a "journey of humility". SO many circumstances in my life were showing me just how highly I thought of myself, and how very little I truly submitted to and lived with a need for God. It was a PAINFUL journey. I wouldn't even say I've completed it! But God has used absolutely everything in my life to remind me who I am...not in a building up, self respect kind of way. But in a full on honest evaluation of who I am, and how I am NOTHING without Him! He did not save me, equip me, bless me, fill me, anoint me, or gift me due to my WORTHINESS! He did those things because of who HE is and to bring glory to Himself.

I have been incredibly appalled at some of my thought processes...the same ones that I feel are often endorsed by "the church". There is so much in the world that SOUNDS right, but is literally blasphemous! Such as "self respect". What is that?! There is nothing about ME worthy of respect! If I try to place value on myself due to who I am, or even a quality I may have, then that is simply idolatry! I know that I am precious, gifted, talented and cherished. But NOT because of anthing that I have done or could do. Because of Jesus' sacrifice. Because my Maker is the One who holds ALL things in His hands!

C.S. Lewis wrote a most remarkable book...Mere Christianity. There are so many points he makes in it that caused me much soul searching. It's kinda like this: I'm cleaning out my garage. I work to get everything out, and am feeling pretty proud of myself that I'm doing quite well. But then Mitch comes out with a floodlight...one of those kinds that sit on a stand and compete with the sun? Yea...that kind. I suddenly realize I've been working in darkness.The light shines on a corner that I've completely forgotten and still requires much work. See, my journey with God has been much like that. My garage will never get completely cleaned out! But I can start to feel like I'm really making progress when God will use an anointed child of His to shine a light on a completely neglected area! C.S. Lewis' book did that for me...on the issue of pride. He calls pride "the sin of Satan". It was pride that caused Satan to even consider placing himself above God. It is also pride in us when each and every single and (seemingly) minute aspect of our life, thoughts and actions do not flow in complete harmony with God, His Word, His ways!

I mean, honestly...we like to act like we "deserve" or have a "right" to so many things! But, according to God's Word, what do we deserve?! HELL! Nothing else! Eternal punishment! Until I absorb and fully comprehend that ONLY His grace and mercy keeps me from that punishment, I cannot accept Him, honor Him or walk with Him fully! And then when grace has bee nreceived, it is much more freely given.

At this point, it is appropriate to acknowledge another Christian misconception that agitates me. The concept that Christianity is about loving everybody, with the definition of love being getting along with EVERYbody, having no opinion that rubs people the wrong way, not ever disagreeing with anybody about anything, since that would not be love and might even be seen as judging. To truly FOLLOW Jesus requires that we do things HIS way! He offended people! He spoke truth! He even called names! Did He condemn the woman caught in adultery? No...but that does NOT mean that He smirked or winked at her sin! So why did He extend grace to the abominable, and speak harshly to others? REPENTANCE is the key! We CANNOT come to God, walk with God, identify with God, without repentance! A broken heart over the sin in our hearts and lives is what makes us compatible with God. Because, at that time, we can fully accept the grace and sacrifice that Jesus offers us.

Recently, I heard a sermon on judging. This has always been a tricky subject for me. From "Judge not lest you be judged" to "by their fruits you will know them", to me seemed confusing. Right there at the beginning of the sermon I turned over in my Bible to the dictionary in the back. TWO definitions! First...to condemn or punish. Second...to make a decision of morality. Hmm. Well that helps me a lot!! I completely and fully understand that I have zero reason or place to condemn or punish anyone! THAT is God's business! But the other one? To make a decision of morality? Well, that most certainly IS my responsibility! So...if I see any form of tolerance for sin, I am to "judge" that and make a decision for myself...to stay away from it! Does that mean that we are to "judge" others? Well, since I do believe in absolute truth, and that God is the same yesterday and forever, I do believe that, using God's Word as my guide, I can "judge" the actions and choices of others whether they are moral or not; whether they line up with God's guidelines for us or not. Then I have a responsibility before God as to how I will react in my relationship to that person. Is that person claiming to be a Christ-follower? Then I have a responsibility to make sure that person knows truth (in love). If they continue to choose immorality, against God, then according to I Corinthians 5, I am to remove that relationship from my life. Is that judging? Yes, by definition it is...it is making a decsion of morality. Does that meant that we take it onto ourselves to condemn or punish that person? No! Never!

So while I am saying that pride is not something to be tolerated in our lives at any level, to hold ourselves separate from the world WILL appear to others as prideful! THAT is NOT our business! The pride I'm speaking of is the one in relation to God. The attitude that I don't REALLY have to do what He says. I don't REALLY have to make the hard choices or work diligently to keep my thoughts and life in alignment with Him. The idea that my comfort, entertainment or entitlement comes before ANYthing that God requires of me! This is what I learn...the more I make His standards mine, His guidelines a part of my thinking, the more my heart is His! And how FREEING that is!

I would compare the spiritual journey to nursing a baby. Often, new moms think it's just going to "happen". I mean, it's nature's way, and gazillions of moms have done it! So, how hard can it be, right?! Well, there IS a flow to it! There IS the comfort that this is the way we are designed. But there is WORK to it! There is preparation, positioning, nutrition, guidelines that help make it all work! Since my nature was changed when I was six years old and repented of my sin and surrendered to my God for my life, I was radically and wonderfully saved. Nothing can ever change that! BUT..we are commanded to "work out our salvation"! We STILL have to choose every day (or, every second!) whether or not we will choose to align our thinking with that of our Creator. When you take my changed nature, add in some willingness to follow His guidelines, THAT is when the beauty of being a Christ-follower is evident! :o)

My hope and prayer is that there is NEVER anything that I'll hold back from Him...no area that I'll say to Him..."no, please don't go there". Because only HE has the "right" to make those kind of choices.

Seriously?! SNOW in NOVEMBER?!

2011-11-28T07:37:00.001-08:00

I ADORE snow! I get it from my Granny! She was a petite little thing that never, EVER outgrew being a little girl! She chased me under her kitchen table once with a butter paddle. I was being naughty to my cousin. I had worn out all her patience, I am sure! I should explain butter paddle! Growing up, we milked cows and often made our own butter. If you wouldn't have the foggiest notion how to even begin, let me help out. When fresh milk sits for awhile, the cream will rise to the top, separating itself from the milk. The cream can be partially or completely skimmed off, depending on the fat content you desire. The cream then can be churned. The milk fat will separate from the more watery part of the cream. The milk fat IS the butter. The butter is all globbed together, so you can just pour out the watery part. Then the butter has to be washed and put into molds. A "butter paddle" is real handy for this process. It is essentially a long-handled flat wooden spoon/spatula looking tool. It will push through the butter to make sure it's washed throughout. The butter paddle is also a handy dandy child correction device! ;o)

My Granny only spanked me that one time that I can remember. All my other memories are of laughter, hospitality, gardening, standing up to swing in her board swing, and many, many more! She loved snow though! She would get a dreamy look in her eyes and clasp her hands together..."Oh! Wouldn't it be so WONDERFUL to have a white Christmas?!" I remember once we actually did! For a lady that loved to be outside so much, she sure did love the beauty of the snow, even if it kept her inside more. She definitely passed on this love of snow to me. I love it when the kids are home from school! I love the piles of wet clothes hanging to dry or being put through the dryer! I love the request for warm beverages! I love the friends tromping through with my own three trompers. I love the cleanness, the whiteness, the purity of it! I want to play in SOME of it, but I want to see some parts untouched. I especially adore that!

Why all the talk about snow?! Is is snowing in Tennessee?! Not yet! But there are varying reports of rain/snow showers today AND tomorrow, with a possible 1-3 inches accummulation. That's just enough of a possibility to get me all excited! I MUST build a fire in the fireplace! I MUST put something warm and savory into the crockpot to tempt me all day! And I'll be watching the window all day, too! :o)

Gleason Fall

2011-10-29T22:05:00.000-07:00

What a GORGEOUS fall day we had here in Tennessee!! I remember our time spent in Jasper, TN, in the Sequatchie Valley, when all the mountains around us would look like God had used every single shade of every single color on His majestic palette! I'm not sure I'll ever get over living there, and seeing the glorious colors! I was transfixed!

I remember time in Evans, GA, when fall would mean hoping for cool weather...hoping, and watching and dreaming. I remember planning Halloween costumes while looking at the weather forecast. Was it going to be cold enough for sweats or warm costumes? Or would they toast like bread if they were in more than shorts? This question after the scavenging around to convert the mouse, bumblebee and pumpkin at the very last moment lesson was learned! :o) One never can tell what the weather will be like for Halloween in Evans, GA! We had fun in everything from sweats, coats and mittens, to shorts and sweaty t-shirts!! :o)

Here in West, TN, the colors are amazing, but not sloped up to be able to see so many trees at once. It is also dependably cool this time of the year! This year, it was Conner's idea to revive the pumpkin carving...we had retired the fun for a few years. I am SO glad he did revive it! We had loads of fun! Conner, Cole, Addison, Jenna and Khali all carved their own. You'll notice them below. Addison's is the highest, with the funny little face with tongue sticking out and cute little bandages. LOVE it!! Conner's is the next down..."J" is for Jenna; "C" is for Conner...you understand the heart and smiley in the middle. :o) Far left bottom is Cole's. He said he was not "artistic" enough to freehand his very favorite cartoon characther. I disagree. He did quite well! Perry the Platypus from Phineas & Ferb! Khali's is next with the drama masks, for her love of all things theatrical! Then Jenna's Tennessee "T", because she is a UT girl! I got my hands dirty only enough to make it absolutely NECESSARY that I go and purchase my own very soon!!! It looked like such fun!! :o)

I hope you're taking moments here and there to find ways to enjoy the changing of the season. Unfortunately, our hearts have to be REMINDED of God's greatness, diversity, creativity, etc. The changing of the seasons is a GREAT way to remind ourselves. He is great, worthy to be praised and trusted, no matter what "season" we are in!

That's just where I've been!

2011-10-26T01:11:00.000-07:00

I'm a sporatic blogger, it's true. Sometimes there's nothing to say. Sometimes too MUCH to say! This time, my silence can be explained by telling you that's just where I've been. The last few posts fairly described events too awful to tell. Too awful to live. But that's life, isn't it? Every day, every minute, every second, the unthinkable IS happening to millions and millions of people! For me, the unthinkable was paralyzing. Not in every way. But I can tell you that I did not WANT to change my blog! 2011 has been a hard year. Not just in the losses, but across the board. No time to catch our breath kind of hard. And I've not been emotionally able to blog.

Tonight, I want to break the silence. I will not quip any cutesy catch phrases, such as, "Time heals all wounds", or "This too shall pass". Nope. Not to the cutesy catch phrases stage yet. So, more of my reality.

2011 started with a bang. We slid into it with full knowledge it was starting off as the worst year ever. Honestly, it has been. So far. But, God be praised, He is STILL faithful! This I've learned...life is a dance. When a dancer steps out of the dance, or changes his dance, all those dancing with him (or her), must change, too. It's been that kind of year.

There have been successes. 2011, somehow, was our most successful year of camps at LRCC! It was TOTALLY due to the hand of God, through His provision in volunteers and resources of all kinds! Eager campers still make my day! To look back at the group camp photos always encourages me! :o)

Also, during the summer, Cole was a summer missionary! And not at LRCC. Honestly, he has been a summer missionary since 2008! But this time it was with Street Reach Memphis, an inner-city ministry that covers approximately 11 neighborhoods with backyard Bible clubs and service projects for the entire summer. He LOVED it! Just ask him! I saw God move in him so much! It's amazing the people who have known him for years and have seen him this fall, the changes they've seen. They can't always describe it, and neither can I, but there's a deepening, a broadening, a confidence, a purpose maybe, about him that I thank God for! Check out the ministry...you might see pics of Cole! :o) www.streetreach.org

Conner and Cole have begun their last year of high school! Somehow, I'm surviving this change at the moment. All of the men at my house can sure tell you of irrational behavior, breakdowns, eruptions, etc. You get the point. :o) But I will always say that, although I've always considered myself most blessed among women to have had TWO such fellows at the same time, it is most excruciating to think of 2/3 of my kids leaving home at the same time! Just sayin! But they are finishing up their last football season, then will look forward to their last baseball season. They are studying hard (no signs of senioritis at all!), and setting their sights on finishing well. They are also looking at colleges. There's a list. A long one. Here it is, in no certain order: University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Union University in Jackson, University of Tennessee in Chattanooga, Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, and the college at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC.

Addison has found a niche in 2011. It's really amazing to look back to 2010 at the difference in him! He had been taking piano for a couple of years from his Nanny (Mitch's mom), and like Nanny does each time she's teaching a grandchild, she assured us he is a prodigy! :o) LOVE that! But he wanted a guitar. He got one for Christmas! Ah! But was that boy excited! He began messing around, and could soon (with help from online and from friends) pick out a song or two. Very soon, he began meeting with an amazing friend that was a new gift from 2010. Mr. Brad loves music, plays music, builds guitars, the works. He is brilliant. It's his "therapy" to play music. Loud. For hours. :o) So Addison would call him and go "play". Mr. Brad refuses to call them lessons. All I know is that Addison, in ten short months, can play most anything he wants to. He talks in a language that is foreign to me. And he can and already has on numerous occasions played for worship! Yea! Crazy, right? He IS a musician. It's in every fiber of his being, and I cannot believe we're just now discovering it! :o)

And, for the third year running, I have had my post-summer camps physical health breakdown. Year one, it was nodules on my vocal chords that required voice rest (no talking. for a month. yea.) Year two brought a nice case of the shingles. After the winter we had in early 2011, by Spring, I was all broken down and heavy with grief and total fear of what would happen THIS year! After talking myself out of it possibly happening again, it did! I woke up one morning in the middle of July with extreme pain in my neck and down my left arm, and numbness in my left hand. Long story short, three months of investigating and physical therapy, and trying to be a model patient, it was evident that I was in the wrong percentage. MOST people with herniated discs can recover from them with therapy and rest within 4-6 weeks. Not me. At the two month mark, the dr told me there was single digit chance of my recovering without intervention. So, on October 19, exactly a week ago, I had surgery. I see the dr in another two weeks. It's hard to tell, at this point, what success has been reached. I am feeling better, and hoping for a full and quick recovery! Three months of very limited abilities has not been a fun part of 2011!

Another difficult part of 2011 has been the rapid digression of Mitch's mom's Alzheimers. She was diagnosed in late 2007, and we have steadily seen changes. But this year, possibly due to the amount of stress of losing a daughter?, has brought the most change. It's been staggering. She's been frightened of the one who has loved and cared for her endlessly for 51 years. She gets kids mixed up with grandkids and forgets who is who altogether. She is loving and wants to be with us, but is not as "present" as we desire. This is a journey of great difficulty!

I want to share some pics with you...camp pics and family pics. This cannot serve as a full description of 2011, but it will help me catch up! Love to all of you!

Refer to Last Post Title

2011-02-16T07:30:00.000-08:00

I describe the last few weeks as being like a steam roller ran over me, backed up, and went at it again...several times.

Not only did we lose Gena during January, another close family friend went to meet Jesus. Craig Plunkett, son to Mary, father to Spencer and Grant, husband to Amy, tragically died at work on Thursday, January 20. Shock still ripples through me as I type this! Almost a month has passed, and it's still surreal. I love those four people closest to him. How do you understand or try to explain something like this?! You don't! That much I have learned. We don't understand. There's no explanation that makes sense. It's better not to fish out slimy reasons. We only show our ignorance. All we can do is love, support, encourage, pray, pray, pray!!

At the end of a trying month, this is what I know. God is good. Period. No matter our current surroundings or circumstances. No matter what is going on in our world. GOD IS GOOD! He is NOT kept small by our small minds. The best thing to remember about God is that we will not understand Him, this side of heaven! Embrace ignorance, desire, mystery and puzzlement. It's a HUGE part of the Christian journey.

I also know that when life batters, wounds and bruises our souls, we have to set out to have our souls nourished. We have to acknowledge the hurt, and allow time for it to heal. Sometimes a hot bath will nourish far deeper than our skin. Sometimes it's a great conversation with a caring friend. But always, ALWAYS, it's God's Word and His TRUTH that will nourish deeper than anything else possibly can.

The thoughts sticking closest to me right now is that life is SO temporary! Why get stuck on things that do NOT matter! Why?! Does that make any sense whatsoever?! Nope. Nada. So what DOES last forever? God and His glory! May the direction of my life point toward that goal only...to bring God glory!

This Earthly Journey is Temporary

2011-01-14T10:56:00.000-08:00

When I first was introduced to Mitch's family, back in '88, I was introduced to a lovely lady. My mother-in-law, Virginia "Ginger" Perkins Verdell, was one of seven. A most beloved sister, Bonnie, was cherished by all. Having married very late in life, then losing her husband four years later, she poured her life into her siblings' families. It showed. She loved The Sound of Music, and collected all things related to the film. Her home was the gathering place for many holidays and event.

Gena adored her Aunt Bonnie. She cherished her time with her, and raised her girls sharing life with Aunt Bonnie. Early in my time as part of the Verdell family, Aunt Bonnie lost her personal battle with cancer at the age of 56, on January 5, 1991. I remember loving and supporting the family that was now mine through this loss that was significant to them.

My last post was December 31, 2010. The next day, New Years Day, Gena asked us all to pray that God would just come on and take her home. It was difficult to voice. Hard to hear. We wanted to scream against it. But peace came. Acceptance. At some point, watching someone suffer gets so old. Is so exhausting. Even the awful becomes welcome. That's where we were. On January 2, 2011, Gena awoke somewhat. She talked to us all. Surprised to still be with us. We were surprised, too.

The early part of that week was supporting each other, staying as close as possible. Making ourselves eat. Short and abrupt prayers. Gena was slowly fading. Conversations became less frequent. Less "present". On January 4, an uncle was visiting, and reminded us of the date of Aunt Bonnie's passing. We all thought...that would just be too bizarre.

Mitch and I were staying with some new friends, nearer to the hospital than our home which was an hour away. We got the call midmorning that Gena had, in fact, passed into her eternal, cancer-free home precisely twenty years after her beloved Aunt Bonnie.

It was all so fast. From first pain to passing was right at a month. But would we want her to suffer longer?! NEVER! Was there something we needed that was more important than her eternal rest and eternal peace?! Absolutely not! So she was released. Sometimes it is still not real. Sometimes I think I will go to her house and we will have a normal conversation. I will call her and she will answer. At this point, I can have both sides of the conversation. She would talk in her very Southern speech, pouring out love and wisdom, incredulities, infatuations with her children. We would laugh and share, learn and love. I wonder how long I'll be able to hear her voice, hear her side of the conversation?

The days following were busy. We are still overwhelmed with how many people her life touched! Well over a thousand people came by for the five hour evening visitation. Several hundred more came the next day prior to the funeral. The sanctuary of her church was packed during the funeral. A simulcast took place in the fellowship hall for another 150-200 or so people. How in the world can one stay at home mom affect that many people?! She was that kind of lady. That's all I can say.

God is more than capable and able to turn ashes into beauty. He truly IS beauty. Only HE can even define beauty! And He is doing His thing. Our grief, our pain, our loss = ashes. The things He is giving in return = BEAUTY! It's His economy. It's upside down. It makes no sense to our feeble, limited, temporal minds! But, thank you, God! Your ways are higher than our ways!

Calamity Hits Hard and Fast

2010-12-31T10:10:00.000-08:00

So the update isn't pretty. Twenty-one days ago, this crazy roller coaster started. Yesterday the doctor came in and said the words we feared...there's nothing more that can be done. It's probably a matter of days. Our goal is to keep her comfortable. The digression has come at lightning speed. There's no time to catch our breath or hardly even pray. No time. I am thankful that Gena is interactive and alert. She is at peace. Ready to go where no cancer touches. She does need reassurance that her family will do well. She has done her job...loved well and hard, and they are mighty oaks of strength because of it. We can only state the obvious to reassure her. I love her. Hard. I have learned from her. The crazy traffic of visitors is a testimony to all the lives she has touched and all that love her. The world is a more beautiful place because we shared it with her.

Struggles

2010-12-17T22:57:00.001-08:00

Have you ever been in a place where it's easier to live in your own struggles than look at those of another? Have you wanted to peek through fingers, mostly covering your eyes, because reality is harsh, severe, and shattering? I've heard that two things touch the soul...grief and beauty. I get that. Both have touched me so much lately. Beauty...music, children, authentic conversation, Christmas. Grief...my beautiful sister-in-law has been diagnosed with liver cancer. At age 49. She survived Hodgkins disease thirty years ago. Cancer is not new to her. Right now the status is this: they know that it originated somewhere else. They are not sure where. The search begins. The pain is staggering. Awful. Too much. FAR too much. She is in the hospital for more research and for pain management. That's all awful. Truly awful. But let me add more reality to it. My sister-in-law is a mother. First and foremost. She does it like no other. Truly. I've learned from her, been encouraged and challenged by her natural gift! Her middle child, and second daughter will have a C-section tomorrow morning with her second child, "Peanut". He has a real name, but it's a big mystery still! :o) But Sheena cannot be with her mom during these muddled, confusing, painful, and weighty days. Gena cannot be with her daughter during this beautiful and earth-shattering experience. It is a grief that I want to not look at. So I'm writing. Grief touches all of us. All of us. No one is left untouched. But it is no easier to accept, knowing that. I love Gena. I married her "baby brother", as she calls him. Still. He still wants pampering like she pampered him. Smile. She is a born mother, who gives and serves beyond what I know or can comprehend. And I grieve that this is her burden to bear right now.

Heavy Duty

2010-10-07T18:04:00.000-07:00

We have been living at our home in Gleason for almost two years now. The house is 100 years old...built in 1910! We redid a lot of it, but some things (like hardwood floors) date way back. There have been many changes to the house in its century. We enjoy it a lot, although there are some quirks we would love to do without.

When we were redoing the house, we completely gutted the kitchen. It was a requirement, trust me! So I had to get all new appliances, as well as all cabinets and fixtures. It's not the most functional kitchen ever (moment of silence for THE most functional kitchen EVER, that I, yes I, designed!), but it's warm, and it works. Mostly. Let's not talk about the pot drawer that won't stay closed. Anyway, I mostly like it. :o) But back to the new appliances. I have a gas cookstove, for the first time ever. LOVE it! My fridge is basic, but works for us. The dishwasher I hand picked. It's not a top of the line product. None of them are. But for a low to mid-range product, it cleans well. My in-laws have the older version of it. That's why I specifically asked for it.

Now dishwashers are an interesting thing for me. For all women? I don't know. But interesting for me, to be sure. I feel multiplied. I spent 15 months not too long ago without one. I H...A...T...E...D it! Not only because of the work, but because I never felt like everything was clean! So I could have kissed this dishwasher when we moved in. I think I did, actually! Maybe many times?! :o) But lately I have been a bit disappointed. The cups on the top rack always seemed to have tiny pieces of gritty debris left behind. Most of them had it. I made sure the rinse agent was full. I made sure I was using a quality detergent. I made sure nothing was blocking the flow of water to the top rack. I made sure the dishes were reasonably clean from most food particles going into the dishwasher. Still...grit. So, a couple of days ago I tried one more thing. Instead of "normal wash", I chose the "heavy duty" setting. Wow! No gritty debris! EVER!

It got me to thinking...I know families larger and some much larger than mine. But I can't discredit the amount of traffic and abuse that MY home and its fixtures are subject to. If I think that couches are supposed to last forever, that the normal setting on my washer will make football practice clothes make me want to plant my nose in them, or that my dishwasher can get MY dishes clean on "normal" setting, then I'm going to be frustrated! It doesn't seem to work like that at my house!

So I've decided to take it in stride. Yes, my kids are going to eat in the family room. It's not my first choice. But it happens. Sometimes they are not going to wipe their feet on their way into the house. And sometimes, heaven forbid, they are going to leave off petting the dog, practicing their sport, or helping in the yard, and walk into my kitchen, and...touch...things...before...they...wash...their...hands!! I'll keep reminding. I'll fuss a bit. But...I'm also going to enjoy it! Very, very soon (sniff, sniff), my house will be clean, and quiet, and things will last longer. And I will MISS my "heavy duty" family! So, until then, I'll wipe more, wash more, remind patiently (most of the time), and keep cleaning. And I'm going to enjoy my Heavy Duty Family! :o)

Just sharing!

2010-09-21T22:08:00.001-07:00

I decided since I was SO behind on my blogging that I would post some of my most favorite and most recent family shots. They are from Easter. But when your children are as big as mine, not much changes in six months! :o) Enjoy!

School Pictures

2010-09-21T22:03:00.000-07:00

I used to hate school pictures. In fact, I rarely, if ever, bought them when the boys were in elementary school. Honestly, the one copy in the yearbook was enough for me! :o) They just seem to take the strangest pictures at school. Well, this year, they are not so bad! I thought I would share. Of course, I had to scan them in, so the quality is poor. But I REALLY wanted to share!! :o) Enjoy!

Addison's Book of Stuff, Volume 1

2010-09-11T13:58:00.001-07:00

As promised, this is Addison's Book of Stuff, Volume 1. Yes, there are more! But I told him that every good author releases his genius on his adoring fans one volume at a time! :o) He created these on notebook paper with markers, pencils and staples. We scanned them in. Hopefully, you can make out the gist of it. ENJOY!! :o)

Flowers, Fall Gardens and Free Dogs

2010-09-11T12:08:00.000-07:00

I LOVE a Gerber Daisy! Mine didn't do well this year...too much neglect during the camp days. But since school has started, and my life is more manageable, I've been able to give them better care. And they are liking it! Also, my garden is already sprouting! Only the spinach is still breaking through the soil. Everything else is up! I learned that a fall garden is very susceptible to drought, much more so than a spring garden. Makes sense. So I've watered it most every day. Something is going right!

lettuces

onions (I set these out.)

turnip greens and turnips

my irrigation system :o)

We took in a stray dog recently. So he is not a stray anymore! He is Addison's dog. We are working through the normal new dog things...digging, chewing, etc. But we do love him! He seems so grateful just to have food! :o) His name is Scooter. The vet says he is about a year old. And it's anybody's guess what breeds contributed to his being here! So here is Scooter, and then Cocoa, too. She is a good big sister. He keeps her playful. She is six years old. And showing it a bit. She is far less playful. I don't think we knew how much she had slowed down until Scooter came to our house!

Scooter

Cocoa

Fall in Gleason

2010-09-08T09:54:00.000-07:00

The calendar doesn't tell us it's fall yet. But it sure feels like it! After a few weeks of a heat index near 120, today's temperature of 80 feels SSUUWEEEEET!! I LIKE it! I like it a LOT! Over the summer my flower beds ran amuck. I go for a "meadow" look in my flower beds. Well, the weeds were as big as the flowers. It was really embarrassing. But, with camps at LRCC, it wasn't an option for me to do anything about it! On Monday, Labor Day, I woke up to Mitch working in my flower beds. He had made some progress, but there was still lots to do. We ended up working outside all day. And the beds look remarkably better! Tuesday, I put down mulch, too. So I can actually claim that I live here now! :o)

Over the summer, I opted out of having a garden at my house. Grandaddy Verdell plants a LOT of corn, peas and tomatoes. I knew from last year that I would not be able to maintain a garden well, with our schedule. But I did (also on Monday!) plant a fall garden. I'm so excited about it! Lettuces, turnips and greens, onions, spinach...YUM!! We'll see if I can do this!

I start this blog talking about my favorite things. Now on to less savory topics. My health. Something about my body does NOT handle hectic schedules and stress very well. We have had camps at LRCC for three summers now. The first summer, we only held two, spread apart. The last two years we've had a full schedule, offering camp for every age student. Also, the last two years, I've ended the summer sick. Last year I was so sick, coughing, that I developed nodules on my vocal chords and spent months on some type of voice rest. Very unpleasant. VERY! This summer, we were at our last camp. I was exhausted beyond description. But I felt so excited that I was well! I did have what I thought was a mosquito bite that was itching like crazy, but I was well! It turns out, though, that the "mosquito bite" was shingles! :o( From all I've heard, I had a mild case. It wasn't pleasant, but it wasn't as bad as others' reports. There were two things that made it hard for me. First, I had NOT coasted through the hectic summer and stayed healthy! For two years running, my body had let me know that this will not work for me. What are my options? Well, we are looking into them. More help is the main thing. Secondly, my doctor put me on steroids and, eventually, three rounds of anti-viral meds. The anti-viral meds were annoying...I had to take one five times a day with food. But the steroids...ah, the steroids. If a girl cannot handle caffeine without climbing the walls, just imagine what steroids were like! I think my family actually considered charging admission! I was CRAZY!! I felt like my skin was crawling off of me! I could not sit still. I could NOT sleep. It was so bad! AND...I gained 10 pounds! ARGH!!! And, yes! They are still with me! I will be working toward them leaving. Hopefully!

My family is thriving! Mitch is under so much stress, but seems to handle it better than I do. Girls, we ARE the "weaker vessel", aren't we?! As wonderful as he has always been, he is only getting better! He is the Associate Pastor at our church, a change that took place about a year ago. He is in charge of music, youth and children. AND, we both are part-time with LRCC. That's a lot of different baskets to balance the eggs in. And yet he still manages to be a great father and husband! :o) We celebrated 20 years of marriage on June 1. We revisited the town of our honeymoon, Eureka Springs, Arkansas. We had such an amazing week together! It was perfect!

Our very favorite part of the week was a "couples massage" that we indulged in! It was so amazing! Mitch literally started snoring, he was so relaxed! Which made me giggle! So funny! This picture is of us on the night of our anniversary, at an amazing Italian restaurant, Ermilio's. Ermilio's was in an old house, beautifully redone. It was such a cozy, family, intimate atmosphere. And the food was incredible. Just remembering it nourishes my soul! :o)

Conner and Cole are juniors in high school. Wow! Time has flown! They are strong, dependable and hard-working young men! At last count, Conner was in the #2 slot, academically, in their class, and Cole was in the #3 slot! They also play football and baseball, help us with LRCC, mow yards and work at the Steele Plant Company (the sweet potato business in town). They balance a lot and we are so proud of them! They got their license this summer (Hey! Maybe THAT's where the shingles came from! :o), and both have wheels, God be praised! My goal is to move them toward self management to the point that college will not throw them for a loop. I have high hopes. :o)

Addison is also doing well. When we moved to Gleason, Addison began fourth grade. He completed fourth and fifth grade at Gleason School. But he was struggling. He was diagnosed and treated for anxiety midway through fifth grade. He was NOT coping well. Looking back, it scared me silly. We chose to homeschool for sixth grade. It was a fun year. He seemed to enjoy it, and I know I did. Our goal was always re-entry. We just weren't sure when the right time would be. To re-enter him too early could negate all that we had accomplished with him at home. To wait too long would make it so hard for him to adjust and settle in. We felt reasonably comfortable with him re-entering for the seventh grade. Honestly, he is doing far better than I thought he would! He is learning how to better manage himself, and how some things matter, but others, we just have to overlook. Isn't that the case with all of us?!

Addison is also still dancing. We travel to Jackson (an hour away) once a week for lessons. He is still taking piano lessons from his Nanny Verdell. And he has an extreme interest in guitar. He plays baseball in the spring and early summer, as well. Lately, he has written a book, "Addison's Book of Stuff". It's VERY entertaining! :o) He also has his own dog! Conner and Cole's dog, Cocoa, is six years old now. She now has a brother, Scooter. Scooter was dumped off near LRCC in the late summer. He is a mutt, to be sure. He is about 50 lbs, red, around a year old, and loves to chew and dig. But he is Addison's and Addison LOVES him! :o)

So that's a bit of newsy catch-up information! Be sure and look at our ministry website at http://www.libertyretreat.org/. You can click on one of the 2010 events, and you will be transferred to a picture site, so you can see how much fun we have at LRCC camps (and why I got the shingles!).

:o(

2009-08-10T21:12:00.000-07:00

I'm so bad at this!! And that's all I have time to say!

Ridiculous!

2009-04-27T14:14:00.001-07:00

If you would have told me that I would move to the snail-paced life of NW rural TN and have no time to post a few sentences on my blog, I would have laughed at you! But it's true...I'm crazy busy! Yes, the sweet potato plant work is going good. It's fast-paced and wears me out. The phone rings constantly...CONSTANTLY!!! I answer it mostly, when I'm there. It's actually interesting...I talk to ppl all over the country!

With my being there 6 hrs a day, my other work is suffering. The house is disgusting...no kidding and no exaggerating...disgusting. I can't keep up with laundry, either. Really, though, it's not all because of my work there. This past weekend, I hosted a high school girls' retreat at LRCC (FGO). Two friends, and board members' wives, took care of all the food - and a better job could not have been done! I waddled out at the end of the weekend, bless 'em! Two girls came from Union to do music...and blew my socks off! We've seen lots of interns, counselors, music gurus, etc. No kidding, I've seen no better...NONE! They were transparent, authentic and very fun and approachable for the girls! I'm feeling very blessed that God sent them my way! I spoke three of the four sessions, and Natalie, the worship leader, shared the other time. For the last two weeks I have been buried in the office, when I would return from work. I have studied and studied, planned and planned! It was a success, and I cannot wait to hear, in heaven, what the true eternal results are! :o)

Besides work, housework, and FGO, we are planning for the summer camps, and trying to keep up with baseball schedules! I'm behind on all of it! Who knew one could be this busy where life is supposed to be slower?!

New Ventures

2009-04-08T13:57:00.000-07:00

It's a beautiful spring day in Gleason, TN! It's in the high 60's; not quite reaching the predicted 69 today, though. We're hoping that it is actually spring! It's been flip-flopping a bit!

Today, I got a big reminder that spring is coming, if it's not already here. I worked at the Steele Plant Company. This company is a farming company that produces sweet potato "slips". Slips are small plants, ready to put into the garden. I have been told, and told many others, that Gleason is the "Sweet Potato Capital of the World", because of this company. Well, good grief! I've evidently been lying like a dog! Steele Plant Company is the largest dealer of sweet potato plants in the state of Tennessee. That's not exactly what I've been told and have been telling, now is it?! I feel sheepish! Anyway, one of the owners saw Mitch out in town a couple of days ago and asked that I call the office. They are needing some help through the shipping season. For about two months, things are crazy with orders coming in and going out. They all have to be carefully processed, and more help was needed. After a conversation or two, I decided that I can help out with that. I've already learned so much. What a lot of business they do! I sorted stacks of orders from almost every single state! It was interesting to learn a bit more about the roots of this town! I'll work until school is out, then I'll be too busy with camps for LRCC.

Another new venture is that I'm leading a Bible study at our church! I'm really excited about it, too! We're doing Beth Moore's "Stepping Up". We had our introductory session last night. Most of the ladies haven't done anything like this. They loved the video lesson, except found it hard to keep up with. We're trying to work out a way to help with that. They all took their workbooks and seemed excited to go home and start on their homework! I can't wait to see what it's like when they've actually spent a week in study. I was expecting ten or so to go through it with me, but 36 signed up!!! I know all won't be able to finish, but I was so excited at that number. We're all really looking forward to the next six weeks!

Well, I'm really tired from my day at "work", and still have Liberty and home chores waiting on me...so off with me to my other duties!

Bad, bad me!

2009-03-17T09:31:00.000-07:00

I have been a very bad blogger! Very bad, indeed! So sorry! I've had lots of complaints! I shouldn't let facebook push bloggin aside, now should I?!

Life is just a-going at the Verdells! Spring is in the air! In fact, my windows are open today. Birds are singing, the sun is shining, and my baby, starter plants are sitting out on the patio table soaking in some real sun. I have herbs, sweet peas, daisies, spider lilies and impatiens started in cups and trays. You'd think I had given birth, I'm so proud!! But my yard is like a blank slate, and desperately needs something in it that will bloom! This year will bring hard work in the yard and garden at our new house.

Speaking of our new house, Clint, the "flipper", finished his work a couple of weeks ago!! Woohoo!! He, his wife and his son left one night, and declared the work finished. You'll think I'm crazy, but I almost teared up! I really like these people! Anyway, so they're done, and if there's any other work to be done, it's on us. And, YES, there's definitely work still to be done. The stairs (steep, scary stairs!) have no railing. That should be rectified in the next few days. The front door is still not painted and put into place. There's a "dummy door" that's rather hideous, but we do so need to put in our beautiful door! Soon! Also, we need to add more storage in the laundry room area. I'm waiting on a bid for that. And, of course, the yard work. There's really nothing there, and it's embarrassing to Conner. Why he picks that to be embarrassed about, I'm not sure. It was quite funny the other day. He came home and said that the front of the house looks so bad - ugly front door, no landscaping, etc. He would be willing to work hard to help take care of all that. Well, goody! We'll accept that! It just made me smile. He likes things just so.

Liberty is overwhelming us, which is a good thing (I hope). The last time I blogged, Mitch and I were about to have a "staff meeting". Well, we did. And we planned a ridiculous schedule for ourselves. We planned one spring and four summer camps/retreats, with three of the summer events having "overflow dates". This could be NUTS!! In a way, I wish it would be, so that we would know that we're making a difference. I just don't want to beg people to come to our events this year! You know?! After all those events were on the calendar, we began planning how to communicate them to church leaders. We actually held an "Event Opportunities Banquet" on February 19. We invited two church leaders from each church, fed them a ribeye steak dinner (funded by one of our supporters), and shared with them the heart, vision and calendar of LRCC. About 50 people came. It seemed to be a nice night, and all went smoothly. Whether or not it was effective will take awhile to know, I guess.

The next event on the calendar is an all girls high school event. It's April 24-26. I'm very nervous, and very excited! I'll let you know how it goes!

Gotta tell you a funny story, then I need to get back to work. Winter Jam 2009 came to Nashville's Sommett Center this past Sunday night. Newsong, Toby Mac, and others were to be there. Our church was taking a bus. My older two planned to go. Well, Cole had come home from school on Friday with a fever. It was going around, and I guess it liked him. He slept a LOT on Friday, and a good bit on Saturday. His fever seemed to break after lunch on Saturday, and he declared himself well. But, you know moms! His eyes were still weak, and I feared a relapse if he got out too fast. He didn't go to church Sunday morning, but wanted so desperately to be on that bus at 2:00 P.M. for the 10-11 hour adventure. Well, I decided to drive seperately from the bus. That way, if he was still carrying a bit of the bug, he wouldn't be in the incubator/bus, and he could sleep on the way home. At the last minute, I decided to take Addison, then when we got to Nashville, picked up my nephew, Tyler, who is a student at Vanderbilt. Our youth pastor had mentioned parking in the First Baptist Church of Nashville's parking lot, very close to the Center. Parking elsewhere was $10, so it sounded great to me, too. I parked in a little area, almost like a garage. No signs forbidding parking...nothing to warn me except a small, blinking caution light in my mind - which I ignored. We went to the concert and had a great time. All four of us were quite hyper - Toby Mac was last, did a bang up job, and we were full of ourselves. Skipping, jumping, singing loud, and laughing ourselves silly....until we rounded the corner and saw our car (to make it worse, I had borrowed Grandaddy's car!). It was behind an iron gate! Yep...theft-proof, solid iron, impenetrable gate! We walked around to make sure there were no other entrances/exits. Nope...there weren't. Our car behind a gate downtown Nashville at 10:00 P.M. Fun! I called 911, they referred me to the metro police. A nice cop came by and paged the "pastor on call". Now, my husband has been the pastor on call. And, yes, there were times when he missed calls. Not frequently, but I know it happens. Well, it was a bad night for the pastor on call! He was paged four or five times, with no result. The policeman told me that if he did not call back, my car would simply have to stay there until the morning. So I called Mitch, back at 508 W. Main St, Gleason. I asked him first to repent of the times when he was unavailable as the pastor on call. I also asked him to check the church's website for any helpful info. He found the busines administrator's name, looked him up on white pages, and made the call at 10:30 P.M. I was still on the line on one phone, which he had just laid down, while he place the call on the other phone. Now, it's hilarious. And maybe it was more funny then because I was out of Mitch's reach. Let's just say he was mortified! It was something like this, "Sir, are you the business administrator at FBC? I'm SO sorry, sir! I wouldn't call if it weren't an emergency! I know it's so late! I'm SO, SO sorry, but my wife...!" Very, very funny...Now, that is! Anyway, the kind gentleman got in his car, was at the gated entrance in about 20 min, pushed the remote control button, and we drove out to freedom! I've never been so grateful in my life! :o) He's a wonderful man, I'm sure! He was so kind to us! We found some food, dropped Tyler off at his dorm, and made the trip home. We pulled into our carport at about 2:15 A.M. and that's the end of the story. Except, of course, for all the brutal ribbing I'm receiving! But I do guess I deserve it! Anyway, I hope you were all entertained! :o) Have a nice day!

2009

2009-01-05T09:28:00.001-08:00

Thank you for all the comments, on and off of my blog, about the videos. It seems the concensus is that my twins are disturbed and Addison is thriving at piano. I agree with both! :)

Christmas was AMAZING!!! We had such a good time, being together, being goofy together, and just playing. We saw all of our extended family, and things went well there, too. It was definitely the best Christmas in a long time.

On December 31, Conner, Cole and I went with our church to the Xtreme Conference in Gatlinburg. It's a great conference. They basically hit the large group pretty hard. Let me explain. Some conferences/retreats/camps focus on relationships. They have a great and large staff, hoping to connect with each student individually. Or, they may have "breakout" sessions where kids can choose where to go, in a small group setting. That was not this conference. Big name speakers and bands, all 6500 of us together at once. Now, I prefer relational - always. But this is a really, really good big setting type of event. We saw Tony Nolan, Josh McDowell (my personal favorite) and Ergan Caner (new to me, but WOW!!). If you've never heard of Ergan Caner, look him up online and listen to a podcast or something. His story alone is amazing and inspiring. As far as bands go, we saw Barlow Girl, KJ-52, Third Day, Newsong...and some others. We had fun and I'm still trying to recuperate!

Then I come to today. January 5, 2009. A new start, a new beginning. The start of our second full calendar year at LRCC. The boys are back at school and there's no distractions from what we "do". Can I just be blunt?! I'm not sure I like what we do! How liberating to say that!! Now, I love the big picture mission statement, the concept, the plan. But the day-to-day of what we do is not what we are good at. Not at all! We are in our office, trying to keep track of every penny, so as to honor our non-profit status. We stare at a computer and each other more than we interact with people. If walking to the post office is the highlight of my day, you can see where I could feel cut off from the world. And I do like people! We're not good at maintenance issues. We don't know how to do most of them, and spend most days feeling ignorant. In the summer, we do have camps and retreats that we do, as well as having a lot of outside work to do - maintaining grounds and gardening. But the winter can weigh heavy. Very heavy. In a few minutes, we will have a staff meeting. Mitch and I, in our jeans, trying to figure out how to chart this uncharted path. What direction to head? Which undesirable task should we take on first? Bleh. I know I'm negative today. But I needed to vent.

So what is it about the Christian walk that requires that we carry a cross, that we do things we're not good at, while having to hold ourselves apart from what we ARE good at? If the goal is to look more like Christ at the end of this earthly journey, then all we have at a time like this is faith. If it is impossible to please God without faith, then we must be sitting pretty. We MUST trust, we MUST depend, we MUST have faith! It's the only option. All others are rejected!

We are so proud!

2008-12-05T17:40:00.000-08:00

It was tree-trimming night at the Verdell house. Addison decided to show off what he's been learning for all of his three weeks of piano lessons, then Conner and Cole wanted to show off a bit of talent. You can see why we're so very proud! Don't ask me to explain - I'm just an onlooker. Innocent bystander! And...the tree IS lovely, isn't it? I took a picture before we put the tree skirt on, but, lovely anyway! Merry Christmas to all!

A wonderful find

2008-11-30T13:12:00.001-08:00

Yes!! We found a Christmas Tree Farm!!! When we lived in Georgia, we would cross over into South Carolina to Clarks Hill Tree Farm. We did it every year - Addison doesn't remember any other way to do it! We would get there and ride on a hayride pulled by a tractor to the area where the Virginia Pines were. We'd select our tree, then wait for one of the men wandering around with chainsaws to come and cut our choice one down. They'd load it on the same hay wagon, we'd hop back on, then we'd head back to the farm. They'd shake it out real good for us, wrap it up, and load it on top of our car. We LOVE this tradition! I mean LOVE it!

Last year we searched for such an establishment. We thought we had found one, and made the trip on a Sunday afternoon. The place was a huge disappointment! They already had the trees cut, and they were the shipped in version. We chose one, but knew we would not return. So, this year, Mitch started searching again. We found Ward's Christmas Tree Farm, about an hour and a half from home. We think our tradition is well worth the yearly trek! They were a smaller establishment, but even cozier than what we are used to. Instead of men with chainsaws, we had a girl with a hacksaw. She made quick work of cutting our tree down. We were welcomed into a cozy little cabin while we waited for the mule wagon to return so we could get a ride out to the tree fields. We are so happy to have found this farm! This tradition is my absolute favorite part of decorating for Christmas. I actually don't like the rest of the chore. The tree will sit naked for a day or two. And it will fill our house with it's scent, reminding us of our little victory in finding a tree farm!

YUK!!!

2008-11-17T08:17:00.000-08:00

I have a pet peeve - a new one. Yeah, I DO have a list of pet peeves, but this one I just added. Here in rural NW TN, dipping tobacco is socially acceptable. I'm not even sure what it's really called - "dippin' snuff", "chewin'", lots of names that I think are all the same thing. But I will readily admit that this is not my area of expertise. Whatever it's called, if you see a man (or maybe a woman) with their lower lip looking like they've got their tongue out of place, DON'T ASK! And keep your distance when they pass by a trash can! Why the ranting and raving?! Well, yesterday was the deadline for our Operation Christmas Child boxes at our church. Of course, I was running behind. We had to go to Walmart (20-30 minutes away) on Sunday afternoon. We went through the process of filling our boxes, with all three boys having input. I was finishing up gathering a few things for us, walking down the bread aisle. There was a trash can at the end of the aisle. I didn't really notice the trash can until it happened. A man passed the opposite direction in front of me (I was about 10 yards away from him). He stopped at the trash can, tipped the lid, and black, gooey slime proceeded out of his mouth into the trash can!!! And, I might add, he was a tall man, and he did not bend over! It was a long, long journey for the ooze! I, involuntarily and audibly, said, "EEWWW!" Sadly, he did not hear me. He was the version of man that does not comb his hair, has spent too much time in the recliner and his hair reflects it. He also does not shave frequently, and I don't mean the George Clooney look. I'm talking about "I'm too lazy to take care of myself"! AND, he is the Dickies-overalls-with-a-shirt-that-does-not-cover-his-belly-all-the-way-into-his-overalls kind of man. John Eldredge would say, "Oh, how Adam has fallen!" If you come to visit me in TN, beware the lower lip pouch. You can't say I didn't warn you!

:(

2008-11-06T20:15:00.000-08:00

Why the sad face? Well, for one, I've been browsing others' blogs, to catch up a bit, and there are some people with some real talent, and some interesting and cool blogs! Mine is boring right now. I'm like a dog chasing her tail, with so much going on! Cute blog coming later!

We are moving in this weekend!! That's deserves a :)! There may not be closet rods/shelves, doors hung, or all trim work completed, but heck! I'm living with an infestation of lady bugs right now, and I've GOTTA get outta here!

Another reason for the sad face...my sweet friends left today! The Wrights, who I ADORE, were here for two days, and will return to their Kingdom task in a few weeks. It had been almost four years since I'd seen them - way too long, but necessary. How do we keep sharing our heart so completely, with so much time lapsed in between? God is so good, and loves on me good through amazing people like these!

And now...a note on the election. Why do we claim to live in a Christian nation? We don't. Let's admit it. Let's quit expecting the government and those around us who do not know Christ, to be Christ-like! THAT'S OUR JOB! And, another thing. So, my first pick didn't even make it to the final round, and my "lesser of two evils" pick didn't win. God is God and I am NOT (thanks for reminding me on the airways, Steven Curtis Chapman). The bottom line is that we are to respect our authority. Do NOT expect your children to respect their authority (YOU!) if you dishonor your authority in front of them. We owe it to GOD to honor and respect our leaders and to pray for them. Let's not pout like two-year-olds who are not getting our way!!! Let's man up (you know what I mean!) to the God-sized task of loving as Christ loved, and praying diligently for our country and our world!

I love you guys! Thanks for letting me vent!

My life

2008-10-07T08:39:00.000-07:00

Addison was awarded the Citizen
of the Six Weeks award for his class.
We're so proud of him!

Ms. Beverly Orr (L) is Addison's
main teacher, and Ms. Amy McKenzie
has him for a couple of subjects.

Addison is enjoying soccer!

It's Homecoming Week at GHS!
Monday was mismatch day.
Conner and Cole had a lot of fun
with this one! CRAZY!!

Mushrooms in my bathroom

2008-09-29T10:02:00.001-07:00

Well, here's proof! I fuss and fuss about mushrooms growing in my bathroom, but now you can see for yourself! These little beauties sprout up where the old, crisp linoleum is peeling back from the side of the bathtub. Now, I like mushrooms! I like them on pizza, or in spaghetti sauce. I love them sauteed. JUST NOT GROWING IN MY HOUSE!

Of course, this leads to the obvious question..."when can you move into your new house?" Well, the answer I've given for over a month is: TWO WEEKS!!! Maybe this time it will be true! Everything is going fine, and the work is being done beautifully. But these things take time, and usually longer than you thought they would. So, there you have it! Just a little spew from me!

Greenfield High School Class of '88

2008-09-15T10:33:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post some pictures from the evening of our class reunion. I did have a good time! I was a bit nervous, and awkward moments just happen in a setting like that, but, all in all, it was a huge success in my opinion. Thanks for all the well wishes! :) Out of 58 that graduated with us, we only saw 23 classmates at both events. Not great odds, but those of us who were there had fun catching up!

I survived!!

2008-09-06T12:08:00.000-07:00

Whew! I made it through half of it - the half I dreaded worst! Tonight, we have dinner just with the adults. Today was a family picnic. It was really neat, and I felt mostly comfortable. It does help being "escorted" by four wonderful fellows like mine are! They gave me courage. Just had to share.

I'm terrified!

2008-09-05T23:07:00.000-07:00

Well, it's finally come - my 20 year class reunion. Yep! It's in about 9 hours. I sure wish I could avoid it, and yet I don't want to. I've run into several classmates since we moved back here. In fact, one of them loaned me her copy of our senior yearbook so that I could "cheat" a bit! We had a ten year reunion, but Addison was only a few weeks old, and I was unwilling to travel with him. So, this is the first time I've seen most of them! I wish I could pinpoint why I'm in such a tizzy! See, in high school, I was an invisible wallflower. Well, you know that would no longer describe me. Let's just say I hadn't found my "voice" yet. Looking at the yearbook reminded me of that all the more! I don't want to be invisible any longer, but I don't want to be noticed too much either. Does that make any sense at all?! I know the main thing is that it's not about me! I have to keep the focus on what really matters - my Father, and others. Now - if I can just make that happen in my head!!! AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!! I might throw up!

It's happening!

2008-08-26T20:57:00.000-07:00

Well, the house is coming right along. This week, cabinets were installed - they're GORGEOUS! Like last time, only better. My kitchen is small - I'm starting to get a bit worried. I'll have to make it work somehow! Anyway, the cabinets are amazing! Tile will start to be installed this week. The rest of the driveway/carport will have the concrete poured. I'm painting trim (tennis elbow and all - ouch!). Where's Chris, the master trim painter, when I need him?! The new windows will be installed this week, hopefully, too. That's a lot. There's still more to do, though. There is a lot of trimming out to be done. Paint has to be retouched. Carpet has to be installed. Air/Heat units have to be installed (all duct work already in place). Hot water heater has to be installed (ever heard of the tankless hot water systems?!). Some electrical work has to be done, including putting up all my fixtures. I'm sure that's not an exhaustive list, but that's part of the things that are left on the list.

And besides all that, it's the week for the Tater Town Special!! It's really a busy week. Tonight, there was a gospel singing. Tomorrow night is a community youth service that Mitch is speaking at. Thursday...I can't remember. It must not involve us. Friday night is the first home football game (and I'm in charge of dinner for the football team). Then Saturday is the parade and all the other activities that go with that. It's so much fun. It's amazing how people get into this! It's neat to be more than a visitor. I promise to post pictures.

Must go! Much love to all!

The First Football Game

2008-08-22T23:05:00.000-07:00

We played our first regular season football game tonight. It was very exciting! We actually lost, 52-38. But we played against an AA school - we're A. So they were so much bigger than us, with seperate offensive and defensive lines - our boys mostly play both lines. It's tiring to do that, I'm sure. Within the first minute, we had scored twice!! It was crazy! We were loving it! But we made some mistakes, and they did a lot right. But it was still exciting and I'm glad it's time for football.

Conner did not play quarterback any tonight. But he played on the defense - cornerback. He did well, too. As many pictures as I took, I did not get any of him playing during the game. I'm not sure my camera can handle a task that big - from that distance.

Anyway, just wanted you to see some pics! Enjoy!

The Bulldogs filing onto the field - Conner is #18.

The Stewart County Rebels

The Gleason Bulldogs

The waterboys - working hard!

The pre-game prayer huddle

It's Football Time in Gleason!

2008-08-20T21:11:00.000-07:00

Yep! It's here! We went to the football jamboree last Friday night. For those of you who that sounds like a foreign language, the jamboree is when several schools in the same division play for short amounts of time. So eight teams played in pairs. The Gleason Bulldogs played the Fulton City Bulldogs. And it was a demolition! 34-0, Gleason! For the smallest school in Tennessee to field a football team, that's not so bad! We are pretty sure we're the smallest - Gleason was when Mitch graduated - that explains a lot! :)

So, it sounds like a great night, right? Well, it was except for one thing. The senior quarterback played for almost all of our playing time. Then, for about the last minute, they put in the JV quarterback - MY 140 POUND SON, CONNER!!! Along with the JV quarterback came the JV offensive line. BUT THE OTHER TEAM LEFT IN THEIR VARSTITY DEFENSIVE LINE!!! So this is what I see...the center hikes the ball to Conner, the ball touches his hand and SMACK! he's on the ground - THREE TIMES IN A ROW!!!! I was a WRECK!!! Now, I'm committed to not being a hand-wringing, "my kid's the only kid on the field" kind of mom. But I was FLIPPIN OUT!! Mitch tells me that in the NFL, the quarterbacks treat their offensive lineman really well - dinners out, gifts for the fam, etc. I'm just saying!!

Now that I've had my rant! I've got to get pictures to you of the football player. I honestly don't see him much now, but I'll work on some pictures. I do have pictures of my new haircut! My friend, Shannon, who I've known for decades, is my hairdresser. Here's what we came up with.

Well, there it is! I'm enjoying it - it is so quick and easy to fix, after having long hair for so long. I probably will have to grow it out before too long, but we'll see! Poor gullible Addison. He wanted to take a picture with me. He had no idea I was planning evil on him. He should have, though! He gets his mischievous side honestly!

Anybody reading this that is not on facebook - you must join! It's so much fun! You never know who you will run into. Definitely join when you have a slow week with no real deadlines because it's a bit addicting!

updates

2008-08-13T18:30:00.001-07:00

It's been awhile since I posted some good pictures, so here they are!! Addison and I traveled to Jasper, TN, for a wedding last weekend. It was SO much fun. There was a wedding here at FBC, Gleason, also. Mitch, Conner and Cole stayed here for that one. Anyway, it's always absolutely fabulous to be in Jasper. The wedding was lovely, then Addison's heart was totally won over by the reception. Rock City is on top of Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga. Rock City has a pavilion that was rented for the reception! It was gloriously cool and just the neatest setting for a reception, not to mention the family being one that is so incredible to be around! The first picture is of Addison in "Fat Man's Squeeze". We were able to walk around and enjoy the sights, apart from the reception. There's one lookout point where you can see seven states. Addison was amazed! Also, we had our picture taken on a bench there - he was such good company for me at the wedding! You'll notice he has on tennis shoes. I have to admit I was mortified! We were walking out the door to go to the wedding, almost late, and he told me he had not picked up his Sunday shoes! Oops! Maybe no one noticed - RIGHT!!!

Picture #3 is right here at my house - it's a new plant (at least to me). Our friends, John and Jenni brought it to me, and I LOVE it!! The blooms are so magnificient! Usually, I have no tolerance for plants that have to be brought in for the winter (which is much more common here in TN). But THIS plant, I will do whatever it needs me to do. It's called a "mandivilla". Beautiful, isn't it?!

You know I've told you that all kinds of fruits grow here in my Granny's yard. Well, now I'm harvesting a new one - grapes! That's what is in picture #4. I've been cutting them off in clusters, getting the juice, and freezing it to make jelly later on. The grapes have a great flavor, but have a lot of seeds, so are difficult to eat outright. Anyway, I've enjoyed this new fruit. I think they're pleasing to the eyes, too!

Picture #5 is of my garden - sunflowers! I've had a great outcome with those this year. Now I have to figure out what to do with the seeds! The boys love them, but we usually buy them roasted and salted. I have to find out how to do that!

My garden has done well this year, for the first year. It's about all done now. Hopefully, I'll put up some more tomatoes, but everything else is finished. I put up well over 200 ears of corn, almost all from my garden. I also put up some beans and tomatoes. From other people's harvest, I've put up some okra and peas! I also had some blueberries and peaches to put up! It's so addicting to look in my freezer and want the fruits of my labors to fill it up! Maybe next year I'll do even better at it!

is blessing our socks off right now! We have the next twelve weekends full! Some are overflowing to the weekdays, too! Just in the last three days, the calls have really been coming in. I guess with school starting, ministers are planning for the fall. I sure hope everyone's got their calls in, because we're just about out of time! We really love to see it being used for God's glory! That's what we're here for!!

The family is doing well. Addison loves fifth grade and finds his teacher a delight. Especially since she told them that they would do almost all of their work in the classroom, bringing home very little homework! He's thrilled! Conner and Cole are freshmen in high school!! I know I just made some of you feel really old - ME TOO!!! They are really liking it, I think. Classes seem to be going well. And we've told them that when they apply to colleges, those establishments will know what they did even in these first few weeks. I hope they're hearing me! Conner is playing football, and Cole is on the disabled list. He's technically released from the doctor, but needs some healing time and wasn't eager to jump right back in. He felt the team would be way ahead of him. He says baseball is his favorite, anyway! :) He still walks with a limp, but has no restrictions.

Mitch and I are readjusting to our days together, and working harder than ever to make Liberty all it is meant to be. We are also a bit distracted by our house. No, we haven't moved yet. It's coming along very well, and is to the "finishing out" stage. So this is where the fun begins! We don't think it will take very much longer. I'm just trying to keep up with the workers by having things selected when they need them! Maybe not too much longer! I'll keep you posted!

changes

2008-08-07T11:47:00.001-07:00

It's the first day of school at Gleason School! The boys were all excited and ready for the day - well, mostly! They sure do look handsome, don't they?

You will notice there are only three boys. It's a good time to catch you up on the changes at our house. Blaze had become uncompliant. We had tried to work with him, but things were getting worse. We tried the heart to heart method, but it only seemed to progress things. On Sunday night, we had learned of some deception and sneaking around. We confronted him with them and told him that he would not be able to live with us if he was not going to follow our rules. We told him he could take a bus back to family if he wasn't going to be subject to our authority. He chose the bus. So on Monday evening, after trying to persuade him to reconsider, he bought a ticket in Jackson, TN, and boarded a bus for South Carolina.

We had certainly seen some changes, and the tension in our home was growing. We didn't think it would come to this, though. And, certainly, for his sake, we wish that it had not. I don't think he understands the full ramifications of such a decision, but he soon will. We don't even yet understand what all it can mean for him. He will be 18 in December, and we've checked with all pertinent authorities for weight of responsibility. Since he is not yet 18, we were unsure if we would be held liable for all of his actions. With custody being granted in GA, our current residence in TN, and his current residence in SC, it became complicated. But after much counsel from authorities in all three places, we've managed to transfer all responsibility to him. We would covet your prayers for all involved!

The Verdells are doing well. We are trying to enjoy each other and watch the dynamics of our home and family change - again. It's amazing - he came in very suddenly, then left very suddenly. Our job now is to help stabilize these that are in our home. All three boys seem to be handling everything fine. We would appreciate your prayers for us as well!

unkind

2008-07-29T15:04:00.000-07:00

I know that what I am about to do is unfair to those of you who do not have access to garden fresh goodness. I know it will be cruel. But, considering that along with the country comes mushrooms growing in my house, mice that have barn dances in our house during the night, only 30 gallons of hot water, etc., etc., I hope that you will suffer my celebrating the good things.

Last night, when it was cool enough to breathe outside, Mitch, Addison and I went to the garden. We got to pick the first shelley beans and corn. My dad shelled the beans while we picked. This morning, Addison and I dug some new potatoes. Then we started working to put up the corn. We put up 40 ears on the cob, and have four quarts of corn cut off of the cob. We couldn't bear to wait, so I cooked some for lunch. Oh my GOODNESS!!! Chris, definitely "slap your grandma" worthy. Along with the corn, (silver queen variety, btw) we had some roasted new potatoes, some shelley beans, and lots of red tomatoes. WOW!!! It was amazing! No meat, no bread, no dessert, and it was a FEAST!!! Again, I apologize if I've caused you any discomfort!

We will still have lots more corn to put up. I actually shared a bit with a good friend, and still had all that to put up. It will be nice to have a freezer full of such wonderful goodness for the winter! Just had to celebrate the wonder! Tootles!

We're back!

2008-07-27T21:10:00.001-07:00

Yep, the travel is over! We are back in our little house on the corner of Cotton Creek Road and Liberty Road! The tomatoes are ripe, the beans almost need picking, there were some gargantuous cucumbers, and the corn is ready for some picking. Besides that, the laundry of six people with stinky clothes from the beach - whew! I'm so tired! Actually, Addison's clothes were not stinky. Mrs. Amy kept them mostly clean. So he was easy. She's amazing that way! The Verdells are very blessed by her whole family!

It would be so cool if I could post a picture of our time at camp, but I was so caught up in relationships to get out the camera. I do that a lot! There were so many amazing connections made at camp! I think that the boys all came away much encouraged and ready to go on. Mitch and I found it weird...totally. We LOVED it, but there's no denying the weirdness factor. Someone else is living our life! We really liked our life, and it's right that they should be living it (and doing it so well!), but it's just weird. Now, I wouldn't have stayed home for anything. I needed that! But...I'm just saying! Kudos to J & K - watching you do your thing rocked my world!!

Today was the church picnic at FBC, Gleason. Oh my heavens...SO much good food! Fresh veggies and homemade bread, not to mention the desserts. The Boll Weevil cannot EVEN compare. There was a homemade lemon icebox pie...my very favorite. Then there was also a lemon icebox cake. Never had it, but plan to again. I need to not eat for a week or so! My GOODness! It was crazy!

School starts on the 7th of August. But before that, on the 1st, our one year anniversary at LRCC. I am so excited about that anniversary! It's probably so mental, but I feel like when the first year is behind us, we can breathe a sigh of relief. It's been dreadful in so many ways...the "business" side of it. Too much discovery and mistakes by us while we're trying to learn. But all those "firsts" will be behind us! So we celebrate survival and give thanks to the Giver of all good things! Only He could have done it!!

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think,...to Him be the glory.... Ephesians 3:20

Guess What?!

2008-07-19T03:49:00.000-07:00

We are going to youth camp with West Acres!!! We actually leave this morning (note the CRAZY hour of this blog!) about 7:00! We are all so excited. Today, we travel to Augusta and spend the night with J & K - yep! all of us! Then tomorrow, we board a bus to ride for another 8 to 9 hours to get to Panama City. Then we do the opposite at the end of the week. Why? you may be asking. Well, it would be much less road time to meet the group in PC. But my 10-yr-old has his heart on being with his friends, just as the rest of us will be. Also much of the trip comraderie happens on the bus. So we will travel for two days now and two days at the end of the week! :)

The other reason this is so important to us...we promised our boys when we moved here that, to the best of our ability, we would re-immerse them in that environment whenever we got the chance. They need to be with their friends who they've grown up with - physically and spiritually. They need to be challenged and reminded whose they are and why. So....off we go!

One more thing. Another CRAZY thing happened yesterday. We decided to invite one student from here - a girl with whose family our whole family is friends. She will be a sophomore in high school. Judging from all the twists and turns that had to take place for her to go, I'd say God is up to something in her life and in ours through her! One thing that I'm super excited about...a GIRL will be in the car with us for all those hours! Yep - a G-I-R-L!!!! We've laid down the law - no bodily functions should be shared with all the inhabitants of the car (7 ppl in an Expedition!). PERIOD! No discussing of bodily functions or bodily parts! PERIOD! You can imagine the remainder of the list! Debbie is in HEAVEN!!! It should be a sweet, quiet, rose-smelling ride!! Some civility - FINALLY!!! The girls win the vote in everything - I mean, EVERYTHING! I LOVE it!!!!

So no posting this week. I'll catch you later! Have a fantastic week!

Summer happenings

2008-07-14T19:54:00.000-07:00

What a summer it's been so far!! Cole is finally out of his cast - YAY!!!! He is so excited! This picture was taken the first evening with his cast off - he HAD to go swimming!! He has about a month of physical therapy to go through before he's completely released. He walks with a slight limp that has already gotten better in the five days his cast has been off. Thanks for all the thoughts, prayers and well-wishes to him!

Liberty has been a ZOO!! That, of course, is exactly what we wanted to happen, so it's a good thing. Check out our website - the two events that we held here have about 200 pictures apiece ready for viewing. They were called Liberty Kids Daze 2008, and Walk Wisely 2008. They were a blast and we can't wait to do more! Check it out!! I've included the two group pictures - the silly versions, of course! But do go look at all the other pics, ok?

The house is coming along. Slowly, but we've made progress. We don't have full-time work going on at the house. The guy working on it does it on the side, and we already knew this, so nothing we weren't expecting. Projected move-in date? Everyone's question!! Maybe the end of August? We really don't know. We're just excited about the prospect of it! Of course, every part of the project has grown! We still think it will be fabulous when it's all done, though!

Right now, Blaze is in West Virginia on a mission trip with our association. Conner is working at our house during the day and working out with the football team at night. Cole has decided not to play football this year - to give his leg plenty of healing time. But he's such a help around the house! He's also helped a great deal at Liberty. He was our tech guru at both of our events. That's so valuable! I've really enjoyed the extra time with him! And Addison is such a country boy! He LOVES the garden! I can send him to the garden to pick whatever needs picking. He's learned so much in one season! He also loves catching frogs, snakes (the innocent ones!), etc. Then Mitch and I are still trying to learn how to do this thing that is so much bigger than both of us! So it's busy here!!

Speaking of the garden....wow! We've had a lot of fun with that this year! We've had a spurt or two of really hard work. But, honestly, it's not been as bad as I remember! The other night, we sat down to a dinner that consisted of grilled pork chops, then squash, tomatoes and cucumbers from our garden and green beans from a friend's. It was so cool to eat all that garden-fresh produce, much of which I raised! We still have beans, corn, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, watermelon, potatoes, and bell peppers to harvest! We're really looking forward to all that good country eating!

So, so behind!

2008-07-07T20:09:00.000-07:00

All you avid readers (I can't believe you even exist!!), I apologize! I've been fussed at and reprimanded. My last update was weeks ago!! Our phone lines in our house were messed up, preventing our internet server from getting to our computer. The last month has been such a whirlwind that we didn't even have time to fix it! So I'm sorry for the lengthy time with no news. It in now fixed! We have been trying to catch up with our mountain of emails and such!

Tomorrow, Cole and Conner will be 14!!! Amazing for me! I wish I could do it all over again! It's been such fun!

The reason for such busyness is that we had two retreats at Liberty, and made a trip to Augusta! Let me just say - BUSY!!! I hope we learn how to do these retreats a little more sane-ly, or it could be the death of me!

I have no time - just wanted to let you know I'm still breathing! I promise a complete update with pics real soon!

Busy Times

2008-06-09T09:26:00.000-07:00

It has been so busy for our family lately!! I know everyone's summer is a blur! Let's start with some updates.

We own a house! Yep! We closed on it on May 29. So progress is being made at a startling rate. We would love to be in the house by the time school starts, but know that may not happen. We are very excited and a little overwhelmed trying to plan everything and make selections.

On May 23, our family traveled to Missouri for my nephew, Sidney's, graduation. We had a great time there. My sisters both came, so four of five siblings were together for the first time in over ten years. We're so proud of Sidney! I'll include some pics below.

On the weekend of May 30-31, the college group from West Acres Baptist Church in Evans, GA, came to build a deck at LRCC! They worked like machines and built a deck larger than my current house in only two days! They also built a handicapped ramp, and some stairs off of the back deck - both very needed and very appreciated! It was great to see some of our friends and work beside them to help this ministry be all that it's meant to be. It was, of course, very difficult to say goodbye again.

During their visit, the Board of Directors also met again. We were able to revisit some old issues and make sure that things were going as good as possible. What a wonderful thing to have such Godly, mission-minded, and brilliant people to work through this great endeavor with us!

Sharing

2008-05-19T12:34:00.000-07:00

Can you imagine, however painful it is, the walk to Golgatha? When Jesus' body was so damaged that he didn't even look like a man? The weight of the cross on top of all that? To spend a moment thinking of that is horrifying. Imagine what a relief it must have been when the soldiers asked Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross. Simon could not go through the entire ordeal for Jesus. He could not take away the whole of the horror. But he could lift that one burden.

We often flippantly say that someone is helping to carry our cross. I do believe that is very Biblical - to share each others' burdens. But to spend a moment reflecting on that gift is a very neat thing.

Life is hard. As hard as the cross? Never. But we are instructed to carry our cross, and to share each others burdens. If we are to follow Christ's example, we're assured of a "cross".

Our life has been a difficult challenge over the last couple of years. Nothing like the cross, to be sure - a "tiny offering, compared to Calvary". But a challenge, definitely. And this past weekend, we had help with our burdens!! We had the distinct privilege and honor to revisit our very first full-time church, First Baptist Church, Jasper. Mitch was asked to preach, share about our ministry here at Liberty, and sing, on Sunday morning there. The difficulty of the past few months is certain, but the last few days had been intensely hard. So what a relief to go to a place where we love very, very deeply, and are loved! We feel so encouraged right now! The people there are so gracious. They make over us and our kids unashamedly. I thank them! It meant so much to be there with them. They were so affirming and validating of what we are doing, and we needed to hear that. Thanks so much to all of you!! We were also physically fed beyond anything that is reasonable - I did add a couple of pounds over the weekend! We reminisced over some precious memories, and caught up on each other's journeys. The new pastor, who does not know us, was so gracious and warm. I got to sit by one of the wisest people I know. We were able to see how everyone else's children have grown! And the boys were able to be with old friends, who, to them, are really new friends. It's an amazing thing to say of a place that you can take your kids there, and, although they do not remember the place or the people, they love being there because of the way they are loved. Really amazing, huh? That's how amazing my friends are! They also are looking for ways to partner with us in our work here - we know that this weekend was invaluable for us as a family, and for the Kingdom work going on at Liberty Retreat & Conference Center!

I have many friends in many different places who God uses at different times in my life to encourage me. It's been so long since we shared time in Jasper, and I'm amazed at the extent of the affirmation that came from one weekend! Thanks so much to all of you!

And, by the way, I took no pictures - I was too caught up in the soaking up of the whole situation. It was beautiful, though, trust me!!

Emma Mack

2008-05-14T09:20:00.000-07:00

Nine months ago, we were asked to move away from the people who we have journeyed with for ten years. The journey seems so much more doable when you know who's in it with you, who to encourage, and who to find encouragement from. I miss my journeying buddies! Especially today! I know who needs encouragement, and I cannot give it from this distance.

See, my hysterically funny, passionate, encouraging, very real and very raw friends, Denny and Vickie, said goodbye to their baby girl yesterday and are grieving her loss here on this earth. Her short two months were such a struggle. Someone passed a comment on to me from Vickie. She said, shortly after Emma Mack was in the arms of Jesus, "My baby has beautiful skin now." Little Emma's struggle became the victory that my strong and courageous friend focused on. I love you, Denny and Vickie! My heart is there with you!

I'm so ignorant!

2008-05-02T22:38:00.000-07:00

I was just wondering around online, and happened to have the notion to check in on my gmail account - my email through my blog. I didn't even know that viewers could post an email to me through my blog!!! I know - I'm SSSOOOO ignorant!!! So, any of you who have written me, thinking I'm getting it - I just did!!! All the way back to last August! Sorry for my ignorance! I'll do better now!

Check this out:

2008-05-02T20:53:00.000-07:00

Ok, I ran across this verse. I'll post it in two different versions. Send me a comment to let me know what you think of it, ok? It's I Peter 4:19

"Those who suffer because it is God's will for them must entrust themselves to a faithful Creator and continue to do what is good." (God's Word Translation)

"So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good." (NIV)

What does that say about a health and wealth Gospel?! PLEASE leave me a comment with your thoughts! We'll get a discussion started!

Pictures!!

2008-04-26T20:22:00.001-07:00

This is one of my dad's flowers. It's called bleeding heart.

Cole with our borrowed wheelchair, sporting his cast.

It is a BIG cast! It's already getting heavy.

508 W. Main St, Gleason, TN
Our 98-year-old project.

This "garage turned workshop" is on the left side of the house.
We hope to tear it down and put on a two-car carport.

Update

2008-04-25T08:37:00.000-07:00

I'll write an update on the house in a minute, but I have to drop some other news first...

Cole broke his leg!! He was playing in a JV game on Tuesday night. He got walked, then an upper-classman, coaching from third base, gave him the sign to steal from first to second. He's done this a hundred times! But something went wrong. His left leg, on the underside, got caught and twisted. Everyone out there heard it pop. He heard it, but the pain wasn't immediate. He didn't know it was his leg. He started to try to get up, but then felt pain and saw that his leg looked weird. You can imagine how scared we were to see the huddle around a player that was down and then find out it was our guy. Btw, he was safe!!! We took him to a small hospital, where they started IV with fluids and morphine. Then they X-rayed it. Both bones were broken. At around midnight, he was transferred to Jackson, a larger hospital, where our orthopedic is. Funny, we've been here eight months (almost nine) and we have an orthopedic - he actually knows us well! Anyway, he was assessed, X-rayed some more, and we slept about four hours. Then, about 8:00 the next morning, the doctor came in to tell us the plan. They put him to sleep, then looked at it under real time X-ray while they manipulated, set and cast it. He came out fine - talking and starving. He had not eaten in 24 hours. He's adjusted pretty well to the cast. He's still in pain, but it's definitely getting better. He's been the BEST patient! No one could believe his leg was broken. He didn't cry! He's just so stoic about things like that. I know he would have cried if he wanted to. In the emergency room, he was just trembling from pain, but was like, "It hurts, but I'm okay". And he's so concerned to follow orders well. They had told him to keep a watch on his toes, after the cast was on. They wanted to make sure he had enough room for good circulation. So we were supposed to make sure his toes were pink. In the hospital room, he'd ask me every five minutes to check his toes. And I would. I was really glad when the nurse was checking us out and he told us to check his toes every couple of hours! I was thinking that was all we would get done if Cole thought we were supposed to do it that often. Anyway, he's been amazing. Right now we're trying to find a wheelchair to borrow so that we can go out of the house without him worrying about using his crutches for longer distances. There is one at his school, so that part is easy. But it can't leave the school. It'll work out. I'll get pictures soon, too.

Now to the house. The tricky part is that we are buying it mid-flip, knowing that the owner will complete some things. Then there are other things that we want to do different. So the appraisal is a challenge. We have to go through the house with the owners ("flippers"), and write down every single thing that is still to be done. The appraiser has to know what we are responsible for and what they are responsible for before she can do her job. We are supposed to do that on Saturday morning - that's tomorrow, I guess! It will be tedious, but will help us get through this. We're still hopeful. We've even worked out some ideas to take care of the driveway without selling our souls to the concrete man! We're still praying.

And, in the meantime, we're finding out how very "maxed out" our current house is with all six of us. The space, the electricity, the water supply - everything is set up for 2-4 people. Even the septic system seems overworked. Uh-oh!!! It feels like we're in a ticking time bomb. Relief soon is our hope and prayer!

A HUGE praise!!! At the end of May, we will have our second Board of Directors meeting for Liberty. When they come, a group is coming from WABC to put in our deck!! In case I haven't explained that, the courtyard between the buildings is an eyesore. Nothing can grow there due to foot traffic. So it's muddy when it rains and just unpleasant to look at all the time. It's been our vision to deck the whole thing, and put picnic tables and containers on it. But money and labor just wasn't there. Sort of like, "If we had some cheese, we could have macaroni and cheese, if we had some macaroni". If you haven't heard that, sorry. Really corny! But that's the way we felt. We didn't have anything we needed to get the job done. But.....!!!!! It's happening! I know that the space will be so much more functional for groups with that taken care of! What a praise! Whenever we're discouraged, our Father reminds us that this is His, and He's taken care of it!!

Have a blessed day! Let me leave you with a quote I read a couple of days ago. "In the springtime, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt." The Verdells do that well! Go get dirty!!!

The Quandry

2008-04-22T11:34:00.000-07:00

If you're looking for something light-hearted to read, you should skip this blog. I'm not feeling light-hearted, so I doubt that's what I dish up. All of you sweet friends, my helicopter friends, who hover over me, making sure I'm ok, I am ok! I just need to muse out loud for a minute. Now that that is said...here we go!

When we moved here, we planned to build a house out near the retreat. The retreat is eight miles from Gleason, the town where we have built our life. Since we've lived here for eight and a half months now, we don't feel like that is what we are supposed to do. We feel like we are not supposed to build a home on this property. So, we have been all over the place, trying to figure out exactly what it is we are supposed to do. When we first got here, we looked into building. We didn't spend much time on it, but we gathered rough estimates. We decided to wait. So, for several months, we didn't consider anything really, other than staying where we are for awhile. Then, Mitch and I both began to feel like we needed to start work on SOMETHING. Well, we found a lot, and got a plan. We met with a builder and even got a bid. We even met with a loan officer who assured us that we could do this. Everything was ready for us to say the word. But neither of us could. We kept avoiding it, postponing it, procrastinating - we just could not bring ourselves to do it! Our thinking? That to begin a ministry takes time. For it to be financially secure enough for us to take on a mortgage of that size - well, it seemed more like foolishness than faith. So, we called off the troops. The landowner and builder were both understanding and patient with us. We felt bad - putting them through all that trouble and then saying, well, nevermind. But that's the way it seemed we were supposed to go.

So, on to the next phase. We had decided to stay where we are for awhile. We thought that if we buy a small car, to help with gas, and do some other things to make it easier to stay here longer, that it would be more do-able. So we test drove some cars and got some prices. Then, a real estate agent, a friend of ours, called with something he wanted us to see. A couple that goes to church with him was flipping a house. They had bought it and were doing a great job of fixing it up. So, we went to see it. It's not our dream house. But, that being said, as an existing house, it comes closer to being functional for us than anything we've seen. And, it's a fraction of the cost of building. It was built in 1910 - WOW! It's right in town, but on a quiet street. It has four bedrooms, an office - very workable. It has character and lots of it - in a wonderful way. We put a contract on it.

That's where today comes in. Our loan officer ordered an appraisal. We met the appraiser at the house this morning. We had to walk her through it, discussing all the planned changes, as well as our additional changes. She was very nice. It's just a hard process. The main thing is that the house has to appraise at a value that makes sense for us to put money into. We don't have the final outcome or the final numbers. It was just hard. I don't know what I'm whining about really, or why I'm discouraged...I just am.

That's not the only issue, though. Right as the appraiser was leaving, we had a concrete man come and give us a bid on some work that we think really needs to be done. That quote came back at an "I don't think so - NOT EVER!" price. It was really so much more than we thought it would be.

All that to say, I'm so confused! It's hard to live in limbo! I don't want a dream house. But I do want something that is functional. So we have to have direction, and work through a grueling process. And that's what I don't like. Now, is everyone in my family healthy? Yes! Are we doing what we feel like we're supposed to be doing? Yes, again! Are we settling in and adjusting, finding our way in a new community? Absolutely! So, I know I have a lot to be thankful for. But, as my friend LG says, it's hard on a woman for her home to be unsettled and changing. That's her heart, what she does. I agree. And the living in limbo thing is heavy for me today.

Catchin' Up

2008-04-15T10:48:00.000-07:00

I know...I know! It's been a VERY long time! Sometimes it's hard for a writer to write, you know?! Things are going well in rural NW TN. Since my last post (hurray for the snow!), we've had so much rain! Flooding has been an issue in many areas. The roads have been impassable a time or two, but we have more than one route we can take, so it's not been an issue for us. The ground is so saturated, and now the vegetation is going crazy! Mitch had to apologize to our guests at Liberty last weekend. The grounds needed mowing desperately, but it was simply too wet to get a mower into! He's mowing now, and is so happy to be doing it. He bought a new mower! He had been salivating over the zero-turn radius mowers. The new ones could go up into the thousands of dollars. But his 30" snapper wasn't cutting it - no pun intended! There is so much to mow that it could take 100% of his work time with a mower that small. Anyway, we heard of a great deal on a much older model. We were able to have it checked out by someone we trust, and voila! He is one happy camper! I think he'd rather mow than do just about anything else!

Easter came so early this year, didn't it? It took our family a bit by surprise, but they still all looked like the stunning young men that they are. It was a great time to reflect on the sacrifice of Christ, then celebrate His victory. Conner and Cole had never seen "The Passion of the Christ". When it came out, we didn't feel they were ready. Blaze had seen it even before he came to live with us. I think we really intended for them to see it last year, but hadn't made it happen. So this was the year. I dreaded it all week - watching it again. But we watched it together on Saturday night. Oh, the horror! He has made my heart so tender to His suffering. It was almost unbearable to watch Mel Gibson's depiction of it. And I knew that there was no way (even by his own admission) that he could paint the picture as horrific as it actually was. But...then came the morning! All praise to the God of all power and might, that rules over death and hell! He brought His Son up from the grave! Our life, here and after our physical death, is only because of that power! So...our family grieved together, then celebrated together. See what you think...

Handsome crew, huh?! I thought so! No girl is luckier, than to live with these fine fellows. Yes, I complain about the laundry, the smells, the constant emission of body noises, but, really! Just look at them!! I am blessed!

My dad, as I may have said, has a green thumb. That is the understatement of the century, too. He, according to his sister, could get a bone to take root. He's obsessed with his flowers and is absolutely giddy about this time of the year. I go down to his house at least weekly to take pictures of the newcomers. He will call me and say that there's some that NEED to have their picture taken. I can usually make that happen, and it's been a bit of fun with my new camera. So, I thought I'd share...

The first picture is of hyacinths. I love them. The next is bloodroot. I've never seen this one, but I really liked it. The last one is of a fruit tree (I think it is a cherry tree...not sure, though), that I captured a butterfly and bee on. I didn't even see the bee. I was going for the butterfly, then when I brought the pics up on the computer, saw the bee. This picture is my desktop background on my computer, so I see it all the time. It may be my favorite!

I have had a little bit of a physical issue going on. My right arm had stopped working correctly. That's the best way I know to explain it. I couldn't do the things I had been able to do, and it hurt a lot. I am right-handed, too. I gave it about a year, and it was only getting worse. So I was sent to an orthopedic. He diagnosed me with tennis elbow. I was glad that, at least, there was something that could be done. He gave me a cortisone injection at the site (OUCH!!!), then asked me to wear a strap on my arm to support what was injured. He also sent me to physical therapy. So Heath, my PT, got to work on me. The pain had traveled up to my neck and shoulder, also, so he started there. He also noted the tightness of my hamstrings. Essentially, according to my layman diagnosis, I was a BOARD! Everything was tight. My joints ached and I had headaches a lot. Really...a LOT! So he gave me some stretching exercises and I saw him once a week for a month. I cannot tell you how good I feel! It's really crazy!! To all my friends who are PT's, my hat is off to you!!!! Teach us how to take care of ourselves, and we'll all have a better life! I thought this is what growing older was like, and that I had no options. I didn't even attribute all the issues to this problem. So the relief was a wonderful surprise! I love not having headaches!!

Liberty is growing and changing every day. There have been so many legal issues and technical details that we didn't even think about having to deal with! We are slowly but surely working through them. I have to admit that, on a day-to-day basis, it feels like we accomplish only a little. But when I look back at August 1, 2007, when we arrived, there are so many things that are different. They're not necessarily visible changes, but they are changes that lay the foundation for growth. It has gnawed at me the different type of ministry we do here, versus what we are used to. The lack of contact with people to minister to has really been taxing on me. I trusted that it would all come in due time, though. So, as you can imagine, I was ELATED when we put our first retreat on Liberty's calendar. March 28-30 was our Spring Breakaway 2008. We invited only the Gleason area churches, since our capacity is so small. We were full! It went so well. Jason Evans came. The students really loved him. My boys love him so much that I knew that even if the others didn't, my three would get a lot out of it. But we felt that he was the one we were to invite, and God blessed immeasurably! Local musicians, Steve Douglas & Kevin Lovelace, led worship. Mitch's dad, Billy, headed up the kitchen crew. Twenty-four hours before it started, three of the five that had agreed to help in the kitchen, were taken out due to HEART trouble! WOW!! We were so worried about them! They are doing well, thank goodness. Being so short on help at the last minute gave us all several moments of panic. But, as you probably guessed, God provided! It was amazing to see all the details taken care of! So many wonderful people made it a huge success! See if you think it looks like we had a good time...

For all of you who give your time to pray, or your resources to make sure this continues, thank you so much! I feel more every day that God's hand is on this and we are so happy to be where He is working! Let's do something amazing for His Kingdom!

Snow Daze!

2008-03-13T19:48:00.000-07:00

Yes, we did have a bit of snow last weekend! It was a crazy couple of days. It was warm enough at the beginning of the week that the buttercups really started to show out. There were enough of them that I felt like I could pick some without ruining others' enjoyment. So Mitch got me a big bouquet and I put it in my kitchen, relishing in the wonder of Spring! Then, later that day, it started snowing! The boys got out of school one hour early, but didn't actually miss a whole day for snow. Then we were able to play in it some on Saturday. It was mostly gone by Saturday evening, but we feel so fortunate to have had a bit of it before Spring came for real!

Spring Time is coming!

2008-03-03T12:18:00.000-08:00

It's been a beautiful few days here in Tennessee. Just last Tuesday Mitch took the pictures of the snow. It snowed pretty heavy, but the ground was too warm for any accumulation. Notice that in the picture of the fireplace you can also see the snow on the deck. And how about that flag? Mitch took such a great picture of it! Then just this morning, I was outside and took the pictures of the buttercups. Often, they're called daffodils, but I grew up calling them buttercups. They are amazing in Tennessee. They pop out so early. Nothing else is showing any sign of spring, so they announce its coming all by themselves. Then we know it won't be too long. The Verdells are all very excited about spring. When we moved here, this area was in such bad drought and everything was brown and hideous. It's usually quite green and lush in this part of the country. Anyway, then it moved to fall which was cooler, but not any prettier. So we're looking forward to the beauty that spring will bring!

Hard Work!

2008-02-23T21:30:00.001-08:00

We had another open Saturday on the calendar at Liberty. That can only mean one thing - a great opportunity to clean up things outside some. So our work crew got to work! Blaze handles a chainsaw real well, and Cole and Conner are learning. We love anything that involves chainsaws, four-wheelers, and huge bonfires. We had a friend come up so I got them to take a picture of all of us. My only regret is that you can't smell us from the picture! It was too cold to stink like sweat, but we smelled like mud and woods. Not an unwholesome smell!

I just looked back at the pics. I guess I should explain them! Addison is carrying firewood over to the stack, and the bonfire is BEHIND him! The wood in his arms is NOT on fire! And yes, that is a gas can sitting on the ground - we had to resort to desperate measures to get that fire going. Please do not try this at home! We are professionals!! Seriously, LOL!!!

Also, the other one of Addison is of him swinging on a grapevine that had curled itself around a tree. He loved that! Conner tried it, but the vine wasn't strong enough for him and he pulled it out of the tree. It sent him sprawling! I wish I had a video of that because it was hilarious! He wasn't hurt, so it was ok to laugh!

February has been a lean month as far as visitors to the retreat. We had all but one weekend booked until a couple of weeks ago. A group from Union University was scheduled to be here the second weekend, but as you may know, they had significant tornado damage. Their students were displaced so they were unable to come. Then the church group scheduled for this weekend cancelled. Typically, we were expecting these winter months to be lean. But they really hadn't been until the unexpected of this month.

It's been a really good month as far as the management of the retreat. We're learning more every day! I did say to Mitch just on Friday that I wish I could do just one thing that afterward I could feel like I did it right and I actually knew what I was doing! It seems every single thing I try to do, I feel like an embecile and have to learn it all the HARD WAY!! But maybe we're making progress. I know that we are. Everything is just so new.

The newest thing that had me frustrated was our newsletter. We are doing one every few weeks now, and are sending it via email. If you did not receive one and would like to, just email me your address and I'll put you on the list. Our email address is libertyretreat@bellsouth.net.

Have a blessed day!

It WAS even better!

2008-02-20T12:21:00.001-08:00

Yep, this past Saturday was even more perfect than last weekend! Our sweet friends surprised the boys and came into town for the weekend! My boys had no idea that Spencer and Grant were coming. It was priceless! We had so much fun! The pictures say it all!

Perfect Saturday

2008-02-09T12:54:00.000-08:00

Today is a perfect Saturday. It's sunny here and warm. I would say it's about 60 degrees, and the boys act like it's 90! We had some limbs down from the storm, and a tree or two that needed to be cut down at the retreat. For those of you who have never been here, there's a long windy driveway, with trees on both sides. So, all along the driveway, there was a lot of work that needed to be done. The retreat was booked for this weekend by a group from Union University. We were so excited about them coming, but, as you may know, the tornadoes did an estimated 4 million dollars worth of damage to their campus. So the students were asked to go home for a week or so, which made it necessary to cancel their retreat this weekend. Since no one was down there (a very rare occurrence for a Saturday), Mitch decided to get his work crew down there. The work crew looks like this: Blaze with the chainsaw (No kidding! He's very good at it!), Conner and Addison with machetes, and Cole and Thomas on the four-wheelers, driving around picking up sticks. Thomas is our new one - we've decided he's one of us. He's with us a lot and we love it! So that's the work crew! They are really whipping things into shape! I'm supposed to be doing work here at the house, but I had to paint the scene for you - tractor, farm truck, chainsaw, four-wheelers, machetes, boots and boys - a perfect Saturday! Actually, I'm thinking next Saturday may be even more perfect......!

We're still here!

2008-02-06T08:47:00.000-08:00

Yes, there were tremendous storms in our area last night, but we're fine! If you noticed the path of the storm, it hit all around us. Severe devastation took place at Union University, our Southern Baptist school about 45 minutes from us. I've been praying that God's name will be lifted high through this. Our family decided, at about 9:00 P.M. to go to a nearby church that has a basement. We took our pillows, blankets and some playing cards, and stayed until after 11:00 P.M. The drive home was interesting. There were a lot of limbs down, with a lot of water still running off of the road. I had to be careful to not hydroplane. The temperature was so warm for the last couple of days, it just seemed like something had to give. And it did! The temperatures are much more normal for the season now. We are glad to all be safe and sound, and are concerned for our fellow Tennesseans. Take care and God bless!

I'm mad!

2008-01-30T12:16:00.000-08:00

Well, I went to bed last night mad. Yep, at my husband! I was reading in the living room, and he came in and put in a DVD. It was the video diary made by West Acres members, saying farewell to us. I told him I wasn't ready to watch it, but he played it anyway. I wasn't REALLY mad, of course. There were over an hour of entries, from the people I love so much! I saw some of my best friends and my sweet, precious girls. I haven't cried that hard in a long time. Honestly, that's why I didn't want to watch it. You know that kind of crying that is so hard you think you will throw up? Well, it used to happen almost daily. But, I'm doing better. And I wasn't in the mood to do it last night. But, I did! So, now that the wound is re-opened, let me just say - it's still soo hard to let go! In heaven, NO MORE GOODBYES! That's sounding sweeter all the time!

We're off and running!

2008-01-19T17:44:00.001-08:00

We just finished our first board meeting! I mean JUST! I'm so tired that I can barely put a sentence together. You'll forgive me, please? I can't say how overwhelmed I am with God's goodness to us. We put ten different people together, many of whom do not even know each other. We're just stumbling along, trying to listen for God in all of it. And when we gather together, not only do they all (except for one who could not come) mesh together in the most beautiful of ways, the different areas of expertise and giftedness that they brought to the table was amazing. They thought of creative solutions to so many things that I could not see an answer for! Our time was so productive - many changes in store for Liberty, with the direction being fine-tuned to better focus on our vision. I'm overwhelmed. Somehow, it all feels more legitimate and I feel less alone. I like this!

The board members are amazing, but so are those that helped us carry out our plans this weekend. My sister and her husband came in and helped with the Friday night meal so that Mitch and I, as well as some of the board members, could attend Conner's basketball game, coming in to the meal being completely ready. Then Grandaddy and Nanny came early this morning to cook breakfast for us - everybody should wake up to that at least once or twice in their lives. AND, my brother-in-law picked up our Subway platter for lunch and brought it out to us so that we could stay focused on our work and not have to run into town. So many people contributing! But the most important - I do mean MOST - are those of you who prayed! Only God could have smoothed the way! And your calling on Him put you on the team this weekend. Thanks!!

One more praise - Blaze got bit by a spider over last weekend. Actually, the doctors are almost positive it was from a spider bite, but not completely sure. He came in from school on Monday with a nasty place on his ankle, and later developed a fever. He stayed home from school two days, with us going to Jackson to have it treated. He's so much better - none the worse for the wear. Not a great week for it to happen, with all the planning we had to do, but it all worked out and he's fine. What more could we ask for?

Can I brag?!

2008-01-14T21:16:00.000-08:00

It's so hard to make objective observations about my children. And if I'm observing, it's hard to not be bragging! I fuss at them enough that I'm sure a little bragging won't hurt. Tonight, Cole led our family in devotions. They all got new devotion books for Christmas, and they've already spent a lot of time in them. We told them that we need to start letting them lead our family from their books. Cole showed me last night what he planned to do when it was his turn. We didn't specifically ask him, mind you. He was just studied up and ready. That really blessed my heart! So Mitch said that we must do it tonight. It was so good! It was about wisdom and how we should pursue it. He received Mario Galaxy for the Wii for Christmas. He had some examples from the game to illustrate his points. It was really cool. Cole, the non-verbal one, went on and on for about thirty minutes! I was really impressed with what God is teaching him! And who would have thought that there could be so many lessons from a video game?! We prayed to be wise - not simple, and not fools, but wise!

Also, I've discovered the best way to grow a youth group. You know, about thirteen and a half years ago, we discovered how to grow a church - by having twins! But now, growing a youth group is a little trickier. Yes, we showed up with three new faces. And, no, we don't lead the youth group at FBC, Gleason. But, my kids are taking their role in the world serious. In the last two days, two of their friends have begun asking questions about pursuing Christ wholeheartedly. "Everyone" here is a Christian, but just as the Bible says, few are pursuing Christ. So they are hearing that what others are seeing in them makes Christ desirable! Pray for my children! God's hand is on them, and I cherish that. But I remember Christ's words to Peter about how Satan desired to sift him. I know that there are many more trials ahead for them. One of Cole's illustrations from Mario was when a tornado, which appeared to be a bad thing, picked Mario up. But it spun him around, making him a helicopter, and taking him to places he could not have gone to without the "bad thing". I'm not sure if that comes across clearly, but God used Cole to remind me that the trials in our lives equip us for a whole new journey with our Savior! From the mouths of babes!

Our board meeting is in four days!!! We cannot wait! Pray that personalities will mesh well, and we'll be able to get down to business. I'm so blessed and amazed at the people who have agreed to roll up their sleeves and get in there with us! We sure have a lot of work to do!

About the mice...maybe I've removed the "welcome mat" and they are gone. I'm scared to hope! Creepy, creepy little things!

And, no, I haven't figured out my new camera yet. Oh, I can take pictures! I have 250 or so on it already. But I haven't sat down to figure out how to put them on the computer and share them with you. It's not hard, I'm sure. I just haven't had time. So forgive the lack of pics!

I hope all of you are off to a great start to the new year! God bless!

We're at FOUR!!!

2008-01-03T19:29:00.000-08:00

Yep, that's right! We've caught FOUR mice now! Last night, number three was caught in the heating and air ducts - we heard it scratching in there and Mitch reached a trap down into it. We heard it when the mouse threw the trap. Anyway, this afternoon, I heard the same kind of scratching and looked over there and I could see the little varmint through the grate - uuugghhhh!!! We put the trap down in it, and it took the bait but didn't throw the trap. But, we reset it! Yep, this time it wasn't so lucky! I guess it would help if I liked cats better, huh? That would take care of all of this! Oh, well - just needed to share!

2008-01-03T13:17:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe I forgot this - the three big boys got (drumroll, please) a SHOTGUN for Christmas!! Grandpa gave them ammunition, too! We will keep it put away and safe, I promise. They couldn't believe that we would get them one! Anyway, they're basically working on their target practice for now. Just wanted to shock you!

Back at it!

2008-01-03T12:19:00.000-08:00

Well, here it is, January 3! My blog doesn't even have a post celebrating the birth of my Savior and Lord! I've been delinquent. We certainly did celebrate and hope that you did, too! Without His birth (and eventual death and resurrection), what hope would we have?! None!

Our Christmas was good. I think that the six of us really enjoyed each other and the time together. Mitch and the big three boys went to the Xtreme Conference in Gatlinburg over New Year's, while Addison and I fought the mice. Just kidding, really! We have now caught three, but it's all ok! Thanks for the advice and cute comments/votes about "Which is Worse?". Back to the holidays, it was nice having more time in one place, and less travel. It was also nice to get to go to the extended family get-togethers. We usually miss them, only gathering with Mitch's parents and siblings as well as mine. But this time, we got to see the aunts, uncles and cousins, too!

The boys went back to school today. They were so happy! Not really! It will be hard to get back on that schedule.

Over the school break, Blaze turned 17 (woohoo!!!), and got his drivers' license (double woohoo!). He's spreading his wings just a bit. We're still cautious with him, but he's proving very dependable. Although, the first day he had his license, he got lost. His friends couldn't understand - they have been here their whole lives! But it does seem unfair to ask a fellow to know his way around after four and a half months! Blaze has also found a job that he seems to be enjoying and appreciating.

Conner's basketball is still keeping us busy. Next week he has three games. In Gleason, the eighth graders get to move up to the HS team when the JH team is finished for the season. Which makes for a long season for eighth graders. But he is doing well and enjoying it. He's learned so much!

Cole and Addison are good - no particular news, really.

Liberty is about to get crazy!! We are having our first board meeting on January 18-19!! Mitch and I have so been looking forward to this. So many decisions need to be made and so many things thought through. We're so happy to have more than just us making those calls! But, the next few days will be absolutely nuts preparing for our special guests! I hope you'll keep us in your prayers!

Our website has finally been updated. I just received the software to manage the website, but it will take a lot more than a package of software for me to be able to do this - another process!! So, until I can really make it my own, at least the information is current and our guests won't try to call or send mail to Texas! That was getting crazy!

I got a new camera for Christmas! A really nice camera that I still have to learn how to operate! So if there's a lapse in pics on my blog, you'll understand that this pre-historic woman is overwhelmed with technology to learn!

Best wishes to all this New Year! Let's do something really Kingdom-worthy this year, ok?!

Which is worse?!

2007-12-17T10:30:00.000-08:00

Everybody knows that in Augusta (as was also true in Fort Worth), the lovely creep-crawly that torments the entire population is "waterbugs" that look an awful lot like roaches! Yep, for those of you who have never lived in those climates, the things can be two inches long, and show up absolutely anywhere! They pass through houses, and no one seems to be able to be exempt. We found a way to keep them at bay for most of the time, but it seemed to be impossible to go without ever, ever seeing one! Let me just celebrate that I do not have to think of those things here in good ole Tennessee!! Never, ever!

Before I celebrate too long, I need to acknowledge another varmint that we are dealing with - MICE!!! Living in a 50-yr-old house that was empty for two years probably has something to do with it! We are setting traps and have caught two. Some of them are tricky and eat the bait, but do not disengage the trap - YUK!!! Mitch talked about poison, but how lovely would that be?! A stench that you cannot locate?! Maybe not. Maybe poison sticky strips...hopefully the word is spreading in the little underground community that we are not hospitable to little four-footed creatures. I really do NOT like cats, but I know that one prowling around outside would nip this thing in the bud! Cocoa doesn't seem to be nearly enough of a threat, or else they know she cannot come inside.

Well, that's an update! Woohoo!

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!

2007-12-14T07:57:00.000-08:00

It's really getting cold here! It's been raining a lot, too. This weekend we may get some ice/snow. The ice part is always scary, but the snow would be fantastic! We're really missing our concrete jungle, though. Having a gravel driveway that's low on gravel is hard during all of the rain. Our car is so incredibly nasty, and there's nothing to be done for it except to pretend it's not! The rare sunny days just lift our spirits so much! We've only had one of those this week, though. As soon as it's dry for a few days, we will get gravel put on the driveway. That should help some. I feel like there's mud everywhere!

Today, we leave to go to Knoxville for one night. Our niece, Sheena, is graduating from UT. Also, her sister, Ginger, has been in El Salvador all year with the Peace Corps. She will be in tonight for a Christmas visit. We will all be at the hotel, and they will come in with her from the airport in the middle of the night. We're all planning to get up and greet her. I can't wait to hear the stories! It should be a fun weekend to celebrate them both.

Blaze turns 17 on Wednesday, the 19th! We will get his driver's license that day. I understand what other parents have said, that by the time you've run them around for all those years, you're actually ready to set them free! It does feel like that, especially with us living so far from town. He's worked hard on getting his practice in since we moved here. He also has a job. There's a business here owned by Keith Tucker. Tucker is my maiden name, but we're not kin. Anyway, he owns a marble shop. They make cultured marble sink tops, bathtubs, showers, etc. Blaze does a lot of cleaning for Keith. He's happy to have some money of his own, I think. Teenage jobs are pretty hard to come by here. We feel very fortunate that he found something that he likes - at least better than fast food!

Conner is still playing basketball. The junior high season is over. But here, as an eighth grader, he can move up to the high school level and at least play JV. He had never played basketball other than in a church league. He's had to work hard to catch up. I'm really proud of him! He seems to be pretty well adjusting. Staying busy can be good and bad, you know?

Cole has begun to work out with the baseball team. They work out three afternoons a week. There is no JH team, so they play (or sit the bench) for the High School team. But the exposure and experience will be good. He's looking forward to getting back into that. I regret not getting him into a hunter's safety course in the fall. I think that he would really enjoy that, but we have to wait until next fall for him to go through the course. It's so big around here! Every one of their friends have something mounted and hung on their walls. Cole has always enjoyed the outdoor life when we've been exposed to it. We'll see!

Addison is having a good time at school. His teachers finished all of their work a week early so that they could just play for the last week of school. They've been watching movies and having fun. Yesterday, he made a gingerbread house. He was so proud of it! He and I also went last weekend to see The Nutcracker in Jackson. It was good, but I'm becoming more and more discouraged about him being able to continue dance here. There are no equals to Mr. Ron and the Columbia County Ballet! Addison says that he does want to continue it, but he isn't ready to start back right now. Right now he's content to play and go to school. That's fine with me!

Liberty is trucking right along. The big news right now is that our first board meeting is in the middle of January. We are so excited about that! To have someone helping to make decisions, give guidance, and know the specifics of how to pray is such a gift to us! We've put together what we believe to be a group that will work well together for Kingdom purposes. That meeting will really change the way we do this thing - and we're ready! Pray for that weekend, will you?

Stay in touch, ok? It's so encouraging to hear from all of you! Have a Merry, Merry Christmas!

God is so great!

2007-12-03T13:37:00.000-08:00

I was just posting my earlier blog when Mitch came in with the boys. It seemed the windows of heaven were to be opened today! The boys all had news - Cole didn't have any makeup work from missing Friday when he was sick, Blaze had three progress reports that were all A's (whoa!), Conner gets to start in the basketball game tonight (I wish you could have seen him beaming! It's been hard to come back from a broken wrist.), and...(drumroll, please) Addison was selected for the Citizen of the Month (I mean, WHAT a praise!!!)! They were all so full of themselves! We had to have a family ceremony.

Then Mitch went to get the mail. It's so hard to fully tell you how encouraged I was from the mail today, since I can't disclose its contents. Let's just say, I was weeping! Our God does not forget us! Whatever He has planned for us, whatever He has asked you to do, please do it! There's nothing like watching Him do something that you KNOW is from His hand, and you KNOW that it could not have been done without His hand!

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think,...to Him be the glory....

2007-12-03T13:10:00.000-08:00

Today I read and gleaned much hope and courage from this:

Isaiah 40:26-31

Look at the sky and see.
Who created these things?
Who brings out the stars one by one?
He calls them all by name. Because of the
greatness of his might and the strentgth of his power,
not one of them is missing.
Jacob, why do you complain?
Israel why do you say,
"My way is hidden from the Lord,
and my rights are ignored by my God"?
Don't you know?
Haven't you heard?
The eternal God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth,
doesn't grow tired or become weary.
His understanding is beyond reach.
He gives strength to those who grow tired
and increases the strength of those who are weak.
Even young people grow tired and become weary,
and young men will stumble and fall.
Yet, the strength of those who wait with hope in the Lord
will be renewed.
They will soar on wings like eagles.
They will run and won't become weary.
They will walk and won't grow tired.

Wow! What a reminder! Whatever God has called us to, whatever life mission He's given us, He has not forgotten us! Our strength will be renewed because we wait with hope in the Lord! The battle is His!

There are so many ways that my Father sends encouragement to me! The quiet and solitude of my new home can be deafening at times. Then, at other times, it can be sweetly refreshing. One of the sources of encouragement lately was that he sent our friends to visit! We had so much fun with Jeff and Kristy and little Eli! I didn't take enough pictures, but I do have a couple of Jeff and Eli visiting at my dad's house, seeing the animals. Enjoy!

Country Living

2007-11-26T19:48:00.000-08:00

I had a few cute pictures to share with you. Addison is not allowed to drive the four-wheelers. They are adult-size. But we've found some other fun for him! We let him ride the lawnmower while the blade's turned off! See what you think of this!

While the boys were out of school for Thanksgiving, my dad gave them some shooting lessons. I think they liked it. What boy doesn't like to shoot a gun?! Addison got to do it, too.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T21:02:00.001-08:00

Well, it's the very end of Thanksgiving Day. We've watched the parade, cooked and ate, and even figured out what to do with all the leftovers! We've been with family and played lots of games. Our tradition for the past few years in Augusta was to gather the "family-less families" to our home for eating, fellowship and worship. We always loved it! Earlier today, I even called one of that crowd to see how they were all faring. I miss my family-less families. By way of definition, we would invite over all of the people and families who did not have family to be with on Thanksgiving. It was always an eclectic group, lots of new friends meeting each other. We did miss that! But, we SO enjoyed being with our family. We went to Grandaddy and Nanny's. There was turkey and ham, mashed and sweet potatoes, cornbread and squash dressing, green and cranberry beans, chocolate and strawberry cakes, as well as lots of other things I can't name. It was delish!! My nieces were not there - Sheena is married, so was in Knoxville with her husband's family; Ginger is in the Peace Corps in El Salvador. They will be with us for Christmas, though. But we did have such a good time. We played cards and I even learned a new game, Mexican train. It is a dominoes game. I'm not too good at it! I even teamed up with my brother-in-law, Phil, against Grandaddy and Mitch to play spades. We got soundly whipped - and I do mean soundly! Mitch is too lucky (and smart)! It was a fun day. It was different than I'm used to, but it was good!

I feel I should give an update on my progress with Liberty. My Quickbooks work is coming along. It has long ago been set up on my computer. I've been told it's so easy to do. "You can really tailor it to your needs." For someone with no accounting background, though, I don't even know my needs. I'm sure the program will work like a charm when I know how to work it! It seems like the program is set up for businesses, then a non-profit arm is added on. That's where I'm confused. I spoke with our financial advisor/accountant. He's promised to walk me through it all after the holidays. He told me he would give me what I needed of a four year degree in about an hour over the phone. Hmm! Does he know me?! I'm hoping he has not overestimated my ability to absorb! I've also ordered what's basically a "Quickbooks for Dummies" book. It should be in soon. I love to read, but this promises to be gruelling!

We've had to jump through some hoops to order my software for the website management. Being tax-exempt is fabulous, but it can sure slow things down. I should be getting that software soon, then I'll need another condensed four year course! That really seems exciting to me! I can't wait to work on it!

During the season of thankfulness, I've thought of Paul and his learning to be content, whatever state he was in. Well, Georgia or Tennessee, contentment is to be found! But, I think that we sometimes can settle into a contentment that we were never intended to find here! When I think of contentment, it seems to be a "Ahh! Life is good! I have nothing else to strive for" kind of thing. Obviously, that is NOT what was going on in Paul's life! He was frantically and fiercely seeking to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to do everything in his power to further Kingdom of God. He was content with beatings, stonings, imprisonments, etc., because of his pursuit of all that God was asking of him to do. It wasn't talking about his being content with the house he was in or the car he was driving. I have no idea if this thought process is translating past the chocolate cake that has turned my brain to sludge, but I hope you see where I'm going. We can be content with what's going on around us temporally only if we are digging our hands into the soil of the work that Christ has left for us. The greater meaning of our existence makes all of this life small in comparison!

This is not home!

2007-11-15T06:11:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking...this is just not home. Yeah, I grew up here, but fifteen years can change a person! So it's not a cozy fit in many ways. But the real problem came in when we visited Augusta. That's not home anymore either. We had such a good time visiting with people! But we drove down "our roads" and knew that they were no longer ours. We drove past "our house", avoiding being seen by the new owners. Crazy weird feeling! So I've been wrestling with the feeling of not belonging anywhere. At the same time, I've been reading a Ted Dekker book, The Slumber of Christianity. It's speaking of how modern-day Christians have no hope or expectation of heaven. It's like we're running a race with no concept of the finish line and its rewards! To live with an awareness of this not being where we belong is a very good thing. But to live in the same place for years lulls me into a slumber of sorts. There's a real coziness in looking around my town, with my friends and my family. Well, this is really nothing, you know?! On it's best day, this earthly home really stinks! So I'm doing what I do - wrestling, growing, clawing and digging to learn to rest in whatever God is teaching me! He's a good Father, and we won't be home until we're with HIM!! What treasures await us!

One way I've recently seen a glimpse of His goodness has been with my earthly father. A lot of you know that I was concerned about how that relationship would work. It would be new for both of us. For some reason, I was a bit panicked over my dog. He's usually not fond of dogs, unless they hunt with him and kill things (really!). Well, our sweet Cocoa isn't ferocious by any means! Somehow, I fixated on how bad this could be. I was sure that he would look on her with contempt and might even harm her if she got in his way. Well....he adores her!! It's so funny and has been such a gift from God. He came down to my house last night to let me cut his hair and he fussed at the boys for not petting her enough! He even watches her when we're gone. He told me once that a plant was turned over but he just knew that SHE would not have done it! It may seem like a small thing, but there's a few of you that knew how worked up I was over this! My Father has brought so many good things from all this! I praise Him! I know that He is great and mighty, holy beyond anything we can comprehend. But the small things always amaze me! It just slays me that He chooses to meet us in those details!

A few days ago, I had the neatest thing happen. One of my friends from way back emailed me. We've known that we would re-establish our friendship and have been trying to get together more. I tend to get a bit introverted when I'm adjusting to such a big change, so I've been hard to pin down - sorry, Becky! Anyway, she asked me if I would set up a time to pray with her on a consistent basis. She couldn't have known how badly I was missing those friends who I get together with to pray. Those times piled in the floor together, seeking God's throne were the memories that would bring tears to my eyes the quickest. To feel God's presence and power in such an intimate group is something I've really been missing! So we got together! It was so soothing to my parched soul!! I love that girl!!

I'm feeling better about Liberty every day. The journey of discovery, learning how things work and where things really were, was strenuous and difficult. It's been a hard three months in relation to that part of our work. I've had to remember the prayer prayed over me by my sweet friend - that we would not wonder if we had done the right thing when times looked dark! That prayer has been a protective wall around me when I could not have stood on my own! We've always said that our ministry would be to a broader group than just in our county. But we had to start at home to grow awareness. In small towns, people are skeptical! It takes awhile for them to warm up to "some new-fangled idea"! So it's certainly been less than encouraging many times! I feel like we're advertisers. Advertisers' job is to convince us that we need something that we, as of yet, have not even thought of wanting or needing. That's what we must do! There IS a need - a Kingdom need! God showed us where He was working - an invitation for us to join Him. It is His work and we don't need to defend it to anyone else. Explanations are to be expected, but that's far different from defending. It's weird to go from a position that is respected and understood to "this thing that we're starting down the road a bit". It has been different than we expected, to be sure. But we're adjusting to the reality of it, and feeling more confident every single day. To see God's hand at work means that it is not our work, it is HIS! He will make a way!

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think,...to Him be the glory....!

I'm going to make my email address available. Some of you are commenting on my blog and I don't have a good means of communicating with you, other than commenting back. So, here it is: libertyretreat@bellsouth.net. Have a great day!!!

2007-11-13T11:50:00.000-08:00

Mitch left yesterday with our pastor to go to the Tennessee Baptist Convention in Kingsport, TN. He comes back on Thursday. He's hoping to make some vital contacts for Liberty while he's there. I also hope that he's built up and encouraged while he's away. Our goal for Liberty is to reach out to people within at least a five hour drive radius of us. That goes well into Kentucky, Missouri, Illinois, and Arkansas. But to have great contacts within our state convention would be very helpful. Pray for him, will you?

So, yes, I'm left at home. Last night I couldn't seem to get it all done. Thank goodness Grandaddy helped us out. Conner had a basketball game and I could have easily spent an hour on the road running into town three different times. But Grandaddy picked up Conner and fed him dinner so that when we came back for the game, we were able to meet him there. I do need to show you our Grandaddy and Nanny, don't I? They've been so vital to us in our transition time! It's been fun re-establishing a day-to-day relationship with them!

Yep, they're pretty special!!! I laughed and said that in the first few weeks they seemed absolutely giddy about us being here. It hasn't changed much - just settled into a routine. Grandaddy is retired (Nanny still teaches some piano, but it is real flexible). He says that when people ask him what he's going to do, he tells them that he will do whatever his kids and grandkids need him to do! Thankfully, they are right there close to town, so they can get to the boys quicker than we can eight country miles out. So we "need" him a LOT!

I have to tell a funny story. The second church Mitch served at, the one he was at when we got married, was Mack's Grove Baptist Church. The people there are sweet and loving. We've seen them a little over the years, but not too much. One of the members had been in touch with us and invited us to a fish fry they were having on Saturday night. Trying to re-establish ourselves in the area, we felt it was a good idea to go. We went with all six of us, plus Blaze's girlfriend, Kelly. I reminded them as we got close to mind their manners, and who, exactly, they were representing. We got in and greeted people, reconnecting after fifteen years. Mitch and I were both talking to people. We noticed about the same time that Cole and Blaze were both about to go down the line and fix their plates. The problem with that was that the party hadn't started yet! No one else was eating! We were all so embarrassed and laughed about it. They meet people's expectations of being ravenous boys!! Later, when we were finishing up, Conner was going to go get some homemade ice cream. He was squeezing out between chairs and somehow got tripped up. He fell like a tree in the forest! He hit the floor so hard and so loud! Thankfully, he wasn't hurt, except for his pride! Again - so embarrassing! We wanted to make a good impression, but I'm not sure the impression was good! We're all laughing about it, though!

Today, we get flu shots! They're all just so excited! (Sarcasm dripping!) I'm off to torture my kids! Have a wonderful day!

PICS!!!

2007-11-12T11:09:00.001-08:00

I haven't added pictures in awhile, so I thought I'd let you see a little of the fun we've been having. My dad has a pond at his house that he likes for the boys to come fish in. Conner's picture is from probably a month ago - his cast has been off for awhile now. Anyway, he caught this beauty. Cole really likes fishing. He had a good time at it. They look real serious about it, don't they? And then, my halloween picture! Addison keeps saying that he wants to be Alfalfa for "one more year". We're at four now! He does it well, doesn't he? He especially liked having a new audience for his shinanigans this year.

Football Update

2007-11-12T10:50:00.000-08:00

I love all of the comments! I'm like a kid with candy when I see that I have a new comment! Thanks so much for all the love!

Well, on to another girlie football story!! We actually lost Friday night. All of the talk leading up to the game was that we would easily win, then the second game of the playoffs would be the "biggie". I hate it when that happens! Then the team expects to win and lets their guard down! It's the oldest mistake in the book! The game was about two hours or so from Gleason. There had to be around 3oo-400 people from Gleason there. We easily had two or three times as many fans as the hometown team! It's wild! We were very proud of our boys. My nephew, Tyler, who I adore, is a senior. So it was his last game and especially hard for him. Sad!

I love you guys! Take care!

2007-11-04T20:11:00.000-08:00

Well, I accomplished most of my goals for last week! The Quickbooks program got installed!! Of course, Mitch had to do it for me! I was on the right track, but the Norton Antivirus program wouldn't let it install. I tried about three times, unaware of the problem. Mitch figured it out pretty quick and got it up and running. I'm inputting all the information right now. It's not too hard to use, thank goodness! Not so far, at least!

I met someone I really, really like! I sat by her at the football game Friday night. We've talked some before, but not that much. I just might have a new friend. She might start avoiding me now because she has a bit more of a glimpse into how weird I am. But I really like her. You can't imagine how excited I am!

Also, this past Saturday evening, our family was invited to the home of some very old friends. We've known them for decades. We were talking to them that it's so weird that we've shared so much life together, but there's this fifteen year gap in our relationship. So we had to meet each other's kids and mesh as families. We had a good time. They're really so much fun. When we thought about moving here, they were always a bright spot in my expectations.

Conner is playing a little bit more basketball now. It's taking him longer to get into it that he expected, I think, but I know it's good for him. They're doing so well! They have a winning record, which is unheard of with the boys' basketball. The girls always do well.

The really, really big news of the week, though, is the football game Friday night. We went into Friday night with a 6-3 record. Gleason has not had a winning record in years - I don't know how long. We were playing Union City, who had decimated several other teams in the area. If we lost, that would be it. If we won, we'd be in the state playoffs!! The boys were so pumped, but I was nervous. The big turn of the game, when we really found ourselves well on top happened in the second quarter. We had both scored, and Gleason was ahead. UC was driving and was about to score (which would have put them ahead) when they tried a pass. Our pastor's son, Ben, jumped up and knocked down the pass, and BLAZE caught it!!! I could see Ben's number real well, but wasn't sure who caught it, and the fans around me realized it before I did. I was so excited for him. He literally bounced off of the field. After that, UC never came close to catching up to us. Sorry, this is a girl version of the story, and I don't remember the score. It was convincing, though. The neatest thing happened after the game. The team huddled on the field and prayed and talked whatever teams talk about at times like that. The townspeople began going out onto the field. I finally realized that they were forming a tunnel for the team to pass through on their way back to the locker room. So we lined up on both sides, almost to the 50 yard line from the goalpost! When Blaze ran through, he was grinning so big, and I don't think he felt his feet touching the ground. So this next Friday, we will caravan to somewhere close to Memphis - Fayette County, I believe. It's so crazy - the smallest school in TN to field a football team! Even the other Class A schools often double the number of players we have. I think we dress out something like 26 or 27. CRAZY!! It's been a lot of fun!

The Reality

2007-10-28T18:36:00.000-07:00

So no cute stories this time about life in the country. Just Debbie being real. This is hard!! I've discovered why moving is so hard - it's humbling! To be in a place where "everybody knows your name" strokes our pride. To be in a place where you have to re-establish everything is just humbling! It's not the physically or relationally difficult things that make it hard, but the spiritually difficult things. Humility and surrender come at a great price - the only acceptable response to the unfathomable humility and surrender of our Savior!

Much less difficult, although I'm quaking at the prospect, is the task of my new QuickBooks program that arrived. Technology has not been my strongest passion until now. But it is necessary in my current responsibilities. So I have to install and learn this new program this week to keep good records and to help us be as excellent as we can at being a steward of what God has blessed us with.

One more asset we're trying to learn how to better manage is a little house on Liberty's property. It was bought by Liberty a few years ago. It is in poor repair to say the least. It was "rented" to a fellow for the price of ten hours per week of work given to Liberty. He wasn't the type of guy who carries through on such things without accountability, so basically he's lived rent-free for awhile now - at least over a year. We haven't seen him the entire time we've been here. Word around the area was that he was in jail. We have now confirmed that and found out he got out and has moved away and that he's not coming back! So all his things are in the house. His girlfriend told me on Wednesday that she would be getting all the things out, and would call me within a week to let me know when. So, hopefully, she'll follow through. Otherwise, we'll have to start court proceedings. We want to find the best use for the little place, but it has to be empty before we can head in that direction! I mean, really?! Have you ever evicted someone?!

Well, we have a big week planned in a lot of ways. Mitch and I both have our separate and overwhelming goals of what to accomplish for our ministry. Conner has three basketball games this week, and Blaze's last football game is Friday. Somehow, we're in the position with HS football that, if we win, we're in the playoffs. Our little town is excited to say the least! So Blaze will have lots of extra practice probably, while we're trying to keep up with Conner's games. He is just getting in the swing of things since letting his arm heal. He played JV last week, and hopes to move up this week. He's gotten stronger and stronger. The JH teams are so exciting to watch. Boys and girls are doing very well. Cole and Addison are hanging out with us, helping more than their brothers, probably, just because they're here. They are both enjoying a quieter life right now, I think.

I love you guys! That anyone would check in to see what I'm musing about today is astounding to me! Let's keep journeying together, our goal being to impact this world with the genuine and life-changing love of Jesus Christ!

I'm finally back at it!!

2007-10-18T08:55:00.000-07:00

I'm actually back at blogging!!! I've talked to several of you lately who've lamented my absence. Thank you!! It's so humbling that anyone would read my ramblings! Besides being out of town for three weekends in a row, we've also had MORE technology problems. I won't even waste your time with it! Suffice it to say that I just uploaded these three pics in about two minutes when it used to take me about 45 minutes! NO KIDDING!! I'm so impressed!

So, yeah! I had a great time at Bonnie's wedding! My friends Kristy and Amy were so gracious to go with me and we had so much fun! The wedding was really sweet. You can see how beautiful Bonnie looked! And you can see how much fun I had with my sweet friends. We laughed our heads off and cried like babies, too! My parched soul sure needed those two!

So many more things to say, but it will have to wait a bit. I'm behind on everything! Go love like Christ loved!

I Can't Wait!!

2007-09-25T11:56:00.000-07:00

This weekend, I have a wedding to go to in Jacksonville, FL. I can't wait to see my friend, Bonnie, and share this special day with her! I'll have pics later - much later, knowing me!

Today was cleaning day out at the retreat. Mitch and I were preparing for the next group. It's starting to feel a little more comfortable - like it's really our job to do and we know what we're doing. We had a delightful group this weekend from Long Hollow Baptist Church outside of Nashville. They brought some seventh and eighth grade girls up here for a retreat. It was so neat watching people do what I love to do! We hope to have a great relationship with this group for years to come!

Cocoa has learned some hard lessons lately. She's used to being a house dog, and, thanks to a wireless shock collar-type fence, is now an outside dog. She really seems to love it. But the other night we were putting her in her kennel for the night, and she wouldn't hardly walk on one of her front feet. It was really swollen. She wouldn't let me really look at it, so I gave her a benadryl and we all went to bed. The next day she was walking on it better, but it was swollen up her leg much worse. She's improving greatly now. She has licked at the place until it is a bald wound. I have no idea what she tangled with, but it seemed to have gotten the best of her! Addison told me the other day that he's discovered that it's much more dangerous to live in the country. I was amused at his observations! In some ways it is - with nature all around with all of its possible threats. But in other ways it isn't - people have to be the most dangerous creation when they're at their worst. And we don't see many people out here! But, I think that Cocoa would definitely agree with him!

DSL is still not here! It is supposed to be soon, so we're trying to be patient. But it is amazing how long any internet time takes when you're on dial-up. And speaking of the phone lines and Bellsouth. The other day my friend who's getting married had called me. We had just begun to talk when my NEIGHBOR picked up the phone - no lie! Somehow, we've reverted back to party lines, it seems, and my line is somehow spliced into his. So when my phone would ring, it would ring at his house, too! We were having a three-way call that none of us requested! There have been the funniest issues with our phone line in the eight weeks we've been here. Bonnie was like, "Debbie?! What was that?!" I feel I'm dating myself talking about party lines - I've really only heard of them - I don't actually remember having one!

So Conner has been really understanding about not playing football and letting his arm heal. He gets his cast off a week from tomorrow, so he's very excited! He will have to wear a brace and do physical therapy for a couple more weeks, with limited activity levels. The other day, he, Cole and a couple of friends were going to go down to the creek. Mitch admonished Conner about not getting his cast wet, and he assured his dad that he wouldn't. But, of course, he did. It smells absolutely AWFUL!!!! We joined FBC on Sunday morning, and I asked him to put it behind his back while people were coming around to greet us! It was really offensive. It's dried out a little now and is somewhat better. But it's hard to imagine how much worse it will get in a week. We've tried putting powder down inside it to help it smell better. It has helped a little, I think. It doesn't seem that it could get much worse!

We are really trying hard to figure out what we're supposed to do about another house. We're fine here. There's no extra room, but we are doing fine. And we could stay here if that's what God wants us to do. The hardest thing is living so far from town and making so many trips in and out with all the church and school activities. There's a piece of property that's for sale that we love, but by all opinions except the owners', it is overpriced. But it is beautiful! And we might be able to still talk business with him. We just have to do our homework over the next few days and weeks. Then there's some existing homes that would mostly all require some work - we looked at one on Sunday. We are just in a quandry as to what we're supposed to do! But, I know from past experience, to seek contentment and continue praying will get us through. Ask for wisdom for us on this, would you?!

Thanks so much to all who read my blog. It's so humbling to know that anyone cares what my days are like! Thanks also for the comments. It encourages me so much! Have a great day, and "God be with you 'til we meet again"!

2007-09-18T11:55:00.000-07:00

Chris, here's the requested picture of the hardwood floors!! They ARE beautiful, aren't they? For those of you who don't know, let me explain. When we (West Acres Student Choir) were here in May, there was decades old carpet on these floors. My asthma and allergies didn't seem to be a great combination with such carpet, but I was trying to ignore the potential problem. Chris decided to peek under the carpet in a closet, and discovered these beautiful floors. After we left, Grandaddy (Mitch's dad) and a few of his friends, pulled up the carpet and refinished these floors. We hadn't even seen them until we arrived in August. So, needless to say, we are thrilled with them. And, I haven't been sick at all.

The next picture is of Cocoa, standing under the sheets drying in the wind. I love hanging clothes on the line! The first time I dried towels on the line, Blaze wanted to know what in the world was wrong with the towels. He said that if I continued to dry them outside (which I have), he wouldn't even need soap. He'd just get wet, then scrape the skin off with the towel. Of course, he's exaggerating. But we had a good laugh out of it. Really, though! There's nothing like sheets dried out in the sunshine! It makes me want to wash them every day!

The next picture is of one of my favorite spots. This is a chair that sits in the backyard, overlooking the field that is now a soybean field. The red building is the actual outhouse that has stood on this property for a long, long time! I love to sit out under the shade trees and read. The only chance I've had to do that is on a Sunday afternoon. It was very restful! The weather has been so nice that it is such a beautiful place to sit and reflect on God's goodness.

Church at FBC, Gleason, is going very well. We are enjoying getting to know Bro. Keith and his family. He is a pastor passionate about Christ, and encouraging that same thing in us. He's doing a great job. I have found a Sunday School class, and the boys are getting involved as well. It's nice to have a place to belong! This week, the senior adults are at the Biltmore (which I LOVE), and I'm a little jealous. We will have a Fall Revival Meeting the first of October. Bro. Pete Tackett, pastor of FBC, Columbia, TN, is the speaker. We have known him for some time and are excited about hearing him share God's Word with us. FBC, Gleason, has had a lot of hurt. I think that Pete will lead us to confession and healing, which can only happen through Christ!

A sad thing happened the other day! A pastor from Fort Worth, TX, had requested to use Liberty's cabin for a few days. But, it was already booked and I had to tell him no! I did NOT like that! It is already apparent that we need more facilities. We are also praying over a field that is beside Liberty's main property. Liberty owns 70 acres, but the present buildings sit on 10 acres that do not connect with the other 60. That 10 acres is one acre wide and 10 acres deep. So it is a long, narrow strip of land. The buildings sit about midway back. So to be able to add some road frontage property that sits right up against what we have seems to be the way to go. But we are praying about that. It's almost too many possibilities to try to decide exactly what to do. We do need guidance from our Father, who owns the cattle on a thousand hills!

2007-09-13T13:09:00.000-07:00

Well, this is our new church! We took this picture to show you what it looks like. Also, notice Conner's cast! He HAD to get orange and black. At least, if he has to have a cast, it's a cool one! The cast technician was really fun, trying to help him feel better about the whole situation, I think. Tonight is the first game in which he cannot play. It will be hard on him. We're playing a tough school - McKenzie. It's one of those situations where they can beat themselves before they get there if they're not careful. Conner was a long punt snapper. Since he cannot do that, they gave that job to Cole.
Have a great day! Let something you do today really matter, Kingdom-
wise, ok?

A GREAT Day!

2007-09-11T19:08:00.000-07:00

Well, today was really a great day! I had decided to go to Jackson (45 minutes away) to go to Walmart, get groceries, and get some other things I needed. Because of gas prices, it seems wise to try to consolidate trips as much as possible. I had discovered that I only had two pair of shoes for the fall - I'm NOT exaggerating! Girls, you know that just won't work! So I HAD to do something about that, too! Anyway, I think the high temperature today was somewhere close to 80. So it was a beautiful day. Also, it has rained a LOT here lately. In fact, the pond we pushed in? Well, it's full again! Culvert work, extra dirt required - SOMETHING! Back to the subject, because of the rain, everything looks clean, refreshed, and green. I remember why I love Tennessee so much - not just the VOLUNTEERS! It's absolutely gorgeous here! It was nice to be reminded that I DON'T like traffic, too! (Here in Weakley County, bad traffic is getting stuck behind a tractor when you can't pass!) I got three or four new pieces of clothes, some new shoes, some storage containers to help the boys in their rooms, and enough groceries to keep us from going hungry for awhile. I also found some needed things for Addison and Blaze. I count it as such a blessing just to be able to go buy what we need, when we need it! It's a little fun for me, too! So, at the end of the day, I feel very blessed, and I'm tired from all that work! Btw, it's actually chilly outside right now! I'm loving it! It finally feels like football weather! More later...

pictures of the Prices' visit

2007-09-10T08:40:00.000-07:00

Here they are! The promised pictures. There's so many, I couldn't hardly decide which ones to use. As you can tell, we had a lot of fun. My dad is to the far right in the group picture. He enjoyed the Prices, too!

2007-09-08T20:38:00.000-07:00

What a week we've had! The Price family arrived late last Friday night and left early this Friday morning. So Jerry, Cindy, Amanda, Jessica, Sara, Rebecca, Christina, Emily, Laura, Preston, Elijah, Caleb, and Joshua spent the week with us! We enjoyed them so much!! I will download some pictures of their visit very soon. What a precious family!

The Prices left the morning after the Junior High football game. Conner and Cole had played well, but in the second quarter of that game, Conner went over to the trainer. I could tell she was checking out his wrist. I tried not to be overly concerned, but I noticed he did not go back in the game. It turned out that his wrist was broken. He and I spent the entire next day at the doctor's office, going through all that you have to go through to attend to something like that. He was very brave until the orthopedic said that he shouldn't play any more this football season. Doc said that because of the placement of the break, we shouldn't take the chance. So, that's what we're doing. I told Conner that he would have to show leadership in other ways than on the field!

On the bright side, because of the urgency of the need for medical care on that day, we now have doctors here! Dr. Sharon Beall in Evans had recommended Dr. David Self in Jackson (45+ min. from our home). We really liked him, and then the orthopedic he sent us to was really good, too. And they both recommended a family practice doctor to us, and it was the same one! Medical care has been a big concern for us - we were very spoiled in Georgia! We had such good care, and feel it's irreplaceable. Thankfully, though, we have a fabulous start!

Thanks to all who are checking in on us through the blog! Thanks especially for keeping us in your prayers! We are still learning so much about Liberty. We've just started handling the reservations. I have a lot to learn to keep up with the business side of things here!

2007-09-05T16:32:00.000-07:00

What about these boys?! Wouldn't want to meet them in a dark alley, huh? Alex is on the left, then Blaze, and then Tyler. I know Blaze is enjoying his new cousins. They are having a really good season. They beat Halls last Friday night. My computer connection hasn't been working, so I was unable to blog any sooner. But I wanted to show off these burly three. Truth be told, they're all really sweet boys! Not a good choice of words, when they're looking like this, I know! I also like AFTER game pictures, when you can really see how hard they've worked!

2007-08-27T20:49:00.000-07:00

Saturday, the 25th, we had our pond pushed in!! It has been an issue the entire time we've been here, and long before. My step-grandfather had dug it for my Granny, who LOVED to fish. But it was poorly constructed, and nothing could live for long in it. It was a mosquito breeding ground, and it routinely sent anything living to the surface, floating and stinking. So we had it pushed in. It was a day full of testosterone - heavy equipment right in our very yard!!! It was really cool! There's a before pic, and an after pic. Then there's one of the men on the equipment. One of the men was Mitch's uncle. The other one graduated with him. Every time we call a serviceman, it ends up being someone we know - NO KIDDING!! It's been funny. Anyway, then the other pic is of Mitch on his tractor. Yeah, he's having fun! He wasn't allowed to play with the big boys on Saturday, but he's had to bush-hog some. Isn't he cute?! The "big boys" caused a little trouble for us, though. The phone company had come out and marked their lines, and the "big boys" had followed the lines. But, evidently, something was poorly marked. So the phone line was cut. Of course, on a Saturday, that meant two days without the phone or internet! We made it, as you can tell! And, the neat thing was that when the repairmen (who we knew!) came to put in a new line, they told us that in a month...get ready for this...DSL will be available in our area!!! Now, if you've been to our area, you know that we've fallen off of the face of the earth! Why in the world would anyone send a cable out this far?!! Well, one of the repairmen lives past us (PAST falling off of the face of the earth!), and he'd been pushing for it. When it came close, he pursuaded Bellsouth to send one down our road. God is so good! PERFECT timing!! Isn't it always?!

I missed taking a picture of Blaze at his football game on Friday night. It was a home game, so right after the game, the boys made a beeline for the locker room and came out without their football uniforms on. I'll get that next time. But, let me tell you...it was an exciting night for football in Gleason, TN. The last time Mitch knew of it, Gleason was the smallest school in the state to field a football team. So, if they do well, it really is a "Facing the Giants" situation! We are a single A school. We played a AA school. Their team looked menacing from the other sideline. But, as you guessed it, Gleason won, 22-20! Blaze had five tackles, and the Verdell cousins did an amazing job (Tyler is a senior and Alex is a junior). It was very exciting!

Some of you knew that Addison was having a hard time earlier on. An update - he's doing so much better! His teacher brags on him and he feels a foot taller! Thank you for the prayers. The move has been far smoother for all of us than it should have been. God had paved the way, helping us to focus on the mission He's called us to! Please continue to pray. Prayer releases God's power on a situation. We are desperate for His power to be all over this. Thanks to those who are partnering with us!

Speaking of our mission - the other day we had a quick turn around with guests at Liberty. Mitch and I got to see what it was like. We're really concerned for our guests to have a lovely experience. So, although the guests are asked to clean up behind themselves, we go in and retouch most things, making it sparkle again. One set of guests left close to 2:00 P.M. on Friday, and another set was expected at 3:00 P.M. We worked so hard to make it shine! It felt good, like, this is what we're here for, you know?

FBC, Gleason, votes on Mitch for the music position this Wednesday. So we may be settled at a church very soon. I hope that God will teach us and use us in this new place! Isn't it amazing that He even considers using such as us?! All praise to HIM!!

2007-08-23T20:29:00.000-07:00

We had a Junior High Football game tonight. The first one was a washout, so we were hoping for better this week. It was so much better! Conner and Cole both did us proud. We didn't win, but we made them remember us. The girl with Conner and Cole is Sami, their cousin. Gleason's mascot is the Bulldogs - I actually said, "Go Dawgs", tonight! Yep, it felt weird! But I was so proud of them! Tomorrow night is the high school game that Blaze will play in. So, more to come....

2007-08-21T19:12:00.001-07:00

Blogging is harder than I thought! I hope this helps keep me in touch with my friends!! Tonight we had Grandaddy and Nanny over for dinner. That's Mitch's parents. We're so lucky to have them! They are so giving and loving. Our boys are certainly benefitting from getting to spend so much time with them!

2007-08-21T13:08:00.000-07:00

2007-08-21T12:41:00.000-07:00

2007-08-21T12:15:00.000-07:00

2007-08-21T11:35:00.000-07:00

I finally have pics!! The boys' first day of school was fun. Blaze wouldn't smile! Also, now you can see what our house looks like! The house is deeper than wide. So it looks even smaller than it is! There is a picture of my Granny with Conner, Cole and Addison. We were out by the swing that is beside her house. She always loved a board swing! Also, she loved pink rose bushes! I included a picture of one of the many! One of the pictures is of her with my stepgrandfather. She outlived two husbands!

2007-08-20T20:06:00.000-07:00

So, here's the deal. We have just moved from Augusta, GA, where we have lived for ten years! We have moved back to our hometown area. Mitch and I moved away, to Fort Worth, TX, for him to go to seminary in January of 1992. We have been gone since then! So it's really weird! We're living on my family's property (actually IN my Granny's house!), but the boys go to school at Mitch's alma mater. It's completely surreal! We've moved from suburban life to rural life! Instead of baseball in the cul-de-sac, we're riding four-wheelers, fishing, learning to shoot a gun, etc. The three older boys are playing football at the school, so the sports are still there. But we come home to this little corner of the world where we can feel completely alone! That, of course, has it's good side and its bad side!

We have left a youth ministry position to start/direct a camp/conference/retreat center. To see the history of Liberty Retreat, check out www.libertyretreat.org. We feel that God has called us to come and watch Him move here! Right now it's hard to imagine, with so little happening here. But we can't wait to watch it happen! The to-do list looks like this: fill in the pond by the house, pressure wash the house that was empty for years (and it shows), bush-hog the overgrown areas, finish staining and putting polyurethane on the shelving that will complete our office area that is in the kitchen, etc.. It's quite different from suburban life! We also have to spread the word about our being here and ready to help people any way we can.

Along with the responsibilities at Liberty, Mitch is considering a position at a local church to do their music. We were there this past Sunday. What a gracious and loving group of people! Mitch did a beautiful job, as I knew he would. He sang a special that was so moving for me! We'll see where this goes.

It has been absolutely unbearably hot since we got here. Today it was a little cooler, it seemed to me. The wind was blowing, and that certainly helped. It has not rained here hardly at all this summer. So with the heat and drought, everything is parched. Cooler weather and some rain would change the place considerably. Tonight gave us a taste of that, even if it was only a marginal difference.

One more funny note: Addison's class took a field trip to a farm today. They competed in various things like sack races, hog calling, etc. His team actually won the hog calling! Just another reminder that our lives are vastly different!

My plan is to post pictures very soon. I do have to take this slowly! Thanks to my good friend, Shannon, for holding my hand through this whole process!

Starting Out

2007-08-19T14:51:00.000-07:00

Well, here I am, back in my hometown! After much prayer and seeking God, my family and I have made a huge transition! A seven-month process, but we're here! I hope to use this blog to keep in touch with friends who now live far from me. I also want to use this blog to live out Ephesians 3:20-21 - Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think,...to Him be the glory....