Our 1st New Car

This weekend we went to Dallas to pick up our new car we have been waiting on for weeks. Neither of us has ever had a new car so we are excited & thankful. We hope to keep it for a LONG time. It was hard saying goodbye to Ole' Blue who has served me well the past few years.

The only negative (besides having to pay for it!) is it adds fuel to the fire. Since we've gotten it more than 1 person has suggested all we need now is a baby & car seat to put in it! I believe it's a conspiracy, maybe my mom & sister are planting ideas in everyone's head. I guess they are right, if we're going to have 8 kids we had better get started! (Just kidding, Erin says she will have the 1st two & it's up to me to figure out how to have the other 6).

Happy 100th Birthday!

Yesterday we attended a 100th birthday party for Lois Greeson. Everyone calls her "Mommie" & she is still going strong. She has been a blessing to me because she is Tony Carozza's great-grandmother. Tony & I grew up as best friends & we mowed her yard many times. She became like a great-grandmother to me since I never knew any of my great-grandparents. The Carozza family is like my own family so it was a great day to spend with their family as well as a great day at church.


Here is a picture of Erin holding Tony & Dayle's daughter Karoline. She was fussy all afternoon & I thought Erin holding her would delay the desire to start a family. But as luck would have it Karoline fell asleep almost instantly & brought relief to the situation! Uh-oh! Now everyone thinks she's a natural & ready to have kids.

The pressure is mounting from all sides: church ladies, parents, my sister, & all our friends around us already having children. We're excited about starting a family, but Erin needs a little more time to learn how to take care of me. Relax mom, you will have plenty of opportunity to spoil our children, just give us a little more time!




Speaking of having children, how great it is to know Christmas is all about celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ!

Pizza & Bowling

Last night Erin & I attended a Young Adult fellowship as we traveled to Hope, AR for pizza @ Pizza Hut (Thin crust Meat Lovers always brings me great joy!) & bowling @ Razorback Bowl. Our group totaled 13. We had a few new people who haven't been involved before & several of our regulars were not able to attend.

We started a Young Adult S.S. Class earlier this year because our church had nothing for that age group. We have seen great growth in the lives of many & their involvement & excitement have steadily increased. We are hoping several of them will join our church & others will become Christians. God has blessed this ministry & once again has made something out of nothing.

It's great for Erin & I to have other young adults to build relationships with as we seek to reinforce the foundation of our church family with young families.

More Parties!

Last night Erin & I hosted our deacons & their wives in our home for a Christmas dinner. We had a great time eating, fellowshiping, & laughing together. Our church is blessed with such great men who set the example of what Biblical deacons should be. Erin prepared a great meal & does such a good job at hospitality.

Friday night we had another party w/ pastors from our association. What is great is we had a fun time even though all the other pastors are at least 15 years older than we are (except a couple of youth ministers)! The Christmas season is about giving as we celebrate what God gave us in Jesus Christ & we saw this in a practical way. One pastor's wife is battling terminal cancer. She has struggled so much & we have prayed for them for a while now. Our associational missionary & his wife organized it so each wife brought a wrapped gift for Doris (who has cancer) & surprised her so she would have a gift & encouraging card to open each day now through Christmas.

A group of old pastors getting together probably doesn't sound like much fun to most, but it was once again a reminder to me how special Christian fellowship really is. I don't know how people get through the tough times of life w/o solid Christian family & friends surrounding them. Never take for granted how blessed you are in Christ.

Only 2 more Christmas parties for us this week...I hope!

Christmas Party

Last night Erin & I attended the 1st of many Christmas parties this month. We shared a potluck dinner with the "Esther Class" (Senior women), their spouses, & our Retirement Village residents. This group of seniors is a vital aspect of our church. They are faithful in so many ways & their wisdom is extremely valuable to the younger generations. Central Baptist Church in Mineral Springs is a great place to serve as pastor & a special place to celebrate Christmas.

Tonight we have another Christmas party with Pastors from our association. I love Christmas for many reasons & one of them is all of the good food & parties. The greatest reason I love Christmas is celebrating the birth of my Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. May God bless you this Christmas!