Awesome Thanksgiving

Taa Daa...it's Christmas!

Ryan and Mic working on the tree

Renay and Randy

Micaela bowling her 300 game, LOL!

Renay, Josh and me

Randy, Micaela and Ryan at Snappy's Pizza

We had so much fun with Micaela and her buddies Ryan, Josh and Renay! It was good to have a house full again and cook the big meal and watch everyone enjoy. My girl comes home again in a few weeks for Christmas break so it will be good to have her around for a little longer than a couple days. I'm so thankful for my kids. Micaela has such great friends...Ryan even helped put up the Christmas tree. :) Keaton is arriving on December 10th and I can't wait. Why can't we require our adult children to live where we want them to? Hee Hee...just kidding...well, kinda!

Doesn't Get Much Better!

Life doesn't get much better than this! My house is clean (thanks Randy), my house smells like pumpkin (thanks me) and Micaela will be here in about four hours! We are having a house full as Mic is bringing three friends home with her! I LOVE that! Nothing like four college students to keep the house hopping and my love of feeding people fulfilled.

It's a gorgeous day here in Union City and tomorrow it's supposed to be about 60 degrees. Woot woot! I'm praying the mild weather holds for Monday's Christmas parade. We are looking forward to our first winter parade experience.

Tonight's church service will be off the hook. Pastor Tommy and Deana's son is here from Franklin, TN where his is a youth pastor and he and another buddy are joining our band for a night of praise and worship. If I ever have a jealous moment it is for people who have musical talent! Both Pastor Tommy and Pastor Justin are very musical and can sing.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Thankful

Okay, I realize that it's kinda lame that I'm doing a "thankful" blog the week of Thanksgiving, but I just can't get past the feeling that I need to publish some of the things I'm thankful for. Maybe someone will read this and be reminded of something they need to be thankful about.

1. I'm so thankful for my Savior, Jesus Christ, and for His love, grace, mercy, guidance, voice, anointing, favor, healing, provision, and so much more.
2. I'm so thankful for my husband and all God has done in his life in the 28 years we've been married. He's my best friend and biggest cheerleader (minus the pompoms :0))
3. Two awesome, incredible, God-serving, loving, talented, smart and kind children. After accepting Jesus, and marrying Randy, having children was the best thing I ever did. I'm so blessed. I love you Micaela and Keaton!
4. I'm so thankful that God allows me to minister to children. Even though I've been involved with ministry for 20+ years, I still marvel that God would ask ME to love and lead children to Calvary. I don't get it but I'm sure glad He asked!
5. I'm so thankful for my church and pastoral team. They ROCK. Nuff said.
6. Friends....I am the MOST blessed person in the world because I have so many friends who love and care about me and my family. Too many to try to mention names so I won't attempt it.
7. Health! I finally have two relatively pain free knees that work oh so much better than a couple years ago. Long process but now worth it. I had another healing in my body this year that very few people know of and maybe someday I'll be able to share about it but let's just say I experienced a miracle and I praise God for it!
8. Coffee (gotta keep ya smiling!)
9. I'm so thankful for growing pains. Thank you, Lord, for stretching me to be better in all that you ask of me. It's not fun to feel pain but you always come out stronger and a little closer to Jesus.
10. I'm thankful I get to cook A LOT this week! You know me...I love to feed people.

Now it's your turn, What are you thankful for this year? My list could have been longer but you would stop reading!

Cool Quote

Love this quote I found on a leadership e-newsletter..."The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas."~ Linus Pauling

Lord, give me lots of ideas and Your voice to know which ones to pursue. Amen

Where Is God?

Wednesday night service at UC First rocked! Pastor Tommy preached a message that penetrated many hearts. He preached about Elijah and Elisha in 2 Kings chapter 2 when Elisha refused to stay behind while Elijah traveled on to Jericho and the Jordan. Elisha had asked for a double portion of Elijah's spirit before they were separated. As Elijah was taken in a whirlwind, Elisha was indeed blessed but he cried out, "Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?"

Pastor said as he was preparing for his sermon, that scripture jumped off the page at him. Many of us have asked that very same question...where is God now? Pastor then went on to say, "He's right where we put Him." He challenged us to ask ourselves about where we have placed the Lord in our lives and hearts. Is He really first? Or is He where many of us have Him...on call only when life gets tough or our wish list needs fulfilled.

Lord, let me press in and find you close in all parts of my life. May I feel your presence in every second of my day because I'm seeking You regularly and You are faithful hear my voice. May you find me as faithful as Elisha and may I be used by You in a way that blesses Your Kingdom. Amen

A Moment of Thanks

I'm sitting in my office and am up to my elbows in "stuff" to do but had to stop for a moment to give thanks. This morning in prayer, God spoke to me in a powerful way about ordering my day. I am by definition a "get 'er done gal" but God showed me I need to delegate more and focus on the things only I can do. Sometimes it's easier to just do whatever needs done instead of calling someone else to do it but I need to be better at that. I am thankful for the reminder, Lord.

Also, while I was typing the Kid's Inc. bulletin, I put in a new kid's worship CD that someone gave me. I was kinda listening and then got to the part of the bulletin that says "Next week's message" and prayed, Lord, what would You have me to preach about next Sunday? I stopped typing and opened my Bible to Romans chapter one and began to read. The scripture Romans 1:16 jumped off the page; "I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes." Just then, the Newsboys song I Am Free started to play (incredible song!) and God showed me the Big Idea for next week - I am FREE and NOT ashamed. Ideas are flowing!

I am so thankful for the voice of God. How do people live without Jesus and the Holy Spirit? I mess up enough WITH Jesus in my life, I can't imagine what a mess I'd be without Him. :)

Amazing Kids

My kids are amazing! Anyone who has been in one of my kid's services knows that we always have a Big Idea for the day. It is the main point of whatever I'm preaching...a catchy phrase to help them remember what we are learning. Yesterday, as service was starting, one of the kids raised their hands and said, "Pastor Lori, I know last week's Big Idea." After she told me what it was, another child raised his hand and said, "I remember the one before." One by one someone told me each of the Big Ideas from every week since I came to Union City! I was sooooo proud of them! For kids to remember something from 7 or 8 weeks before was so cool...such a God thing. It brought tears to my eyes and blessed me so much that God is working in their hearts and minds. I've said it many times before; sometimes you just don't know if kids are "getting it."

We had a breakthrough in our Christmas music practice, too. All of a sudden, they are actually singing the words! Yippee. All the lines are assigned and I think most are happy campers. It helps to constantly remind them that Jesus is the "star" and all of their jobs are equally important in presenting the Gospel. Pastor Tommy has given me the option to preach a short message during the program, too. I always get so nervous preaching to adults but I believe the Lord is giving me a message to share that day. I'm praying He speaks clearly to me about sharing as I want it all to be in His plan for the day. If He does allow me to speak, God gave me a cool idea for a visual example. Hard to believe the holidays are approaching so fast!

I'm looking forward to something new for the Eilers' family this holiday season. We will experience our first Christmas parade! Yes, with the milder winter weather, you can actually do things like that in the south! We are planning Union City First Assembly's float as we want to be a part of all the fun. I think we'll keep it pretty simple and of course throw out a bunch of candy. We have an 18 foot trailer lined up and a warehouse to park it in to decorate. Should be a blast and a perfect time to build some more relationships with families.

Happy Birthday Deana

Deana and daughter Tiffany...two beauties!

We had a little surprise party for our pastor's wife, Deana, for her _ _ birthday. We actually pulled off the surprise and had a great time with about 30 of the ladies from church. Deana is a one of a kind gal. I just love her spunk and the twinkle in her eye. She is a wonderful mom and grandma, competitive, funny, quick to laugh, loving, an encourager, REAL, and passionately in love with her husband! The moment you meet Deana, you just have to love her. I'm so thankful for my new friend.

The Power of Caring

I love this city. I have NEVER been burdened for a city like I am for Union City. Today, we experienced the power of caring for people. There is something about meeting people's most basic needs that humbles my soul and reminds me how very blessed I am. We at UC First Assembly had our annual community outreach today where we physically show the people of our city how much we love them.

We set up the activities building with banquet tables filled to overflowing with clothing and household items. We had clothes hanging along the walls, also and even a few pieces of furniture. We invited people to come and "shop" for FREE for anything they need and there was no limit to how much they could have. Our congregation was so incredibly generous with items; some even had prices tags still on them. As the shoppers "checked out" and we bagged their treasures, we got to chit chat and introduce ourselves. One particular gal was so happy and thankful. Brenda told me how she and her husband had both lost their jobs and that her shopping day at UC First AG was the only Christmas they would have this year. We told her how happy we were to be a blessing and told her not to forget her Thanksgiving groceries when she was ready to leave. She about fainted when she found out she would be getting groceries, too! We had a prayer team ready to agree with folks about any needs they may have and I don't believe a single family refused our prayer times. I personally got to pray with Brenda and I know the Lord really touched her as I saw peace come over her face. I helped her carry her items to her car and she made me cry when she humbly asked if she could have a hug. I think I about hugged the stuffin' right out of her!

Over 100 families came through the church today. Thank you Jesus for setting an example of real, practical ways to love others and in turn be your hand extended. I pray we not only helped cloth and feed many people but they found hope through you, Lord. Thanks for using us....my heart is so full! Amen

Funnest Day Off!

Throwed rolls....yummmmmy!

There is a horse...just can't see him!

Smooching the whiskers!
Sister love. Soooo cute!

I knew I was missing my Iowa friends but didn't realize how much until we had the opportunity to see the beautiful Main ladies! They were in St. Louis for Amy's grandmother's funeral and we decided that my day off would be well spent with a road trip. Amy and the girls so very kindly drove half way to see us so we each only had to go two hours. We had planned to go to a museum in Cape Girardeau, MO but found out it was not a very good one soooooo.....off to Lambert's for lunch!

Well, first we had to drop Amy's Suburban off at a detailer's because of a chocolate milk catastrophe. That in it's self was a funny story! The detailer's business was basically a garage behind this guy's house and in a rather shady area of town. Nicest guys, though! They worked on the milk mess while we drove about 30 minutes to Lambert's - Home of the throwed roll. Sooooo worth the drive! Yumm-o! The girls had a blast catching rolls and we sure laughed a lot.

Side note. Isabella and Lisi are both such smarty-mcsmarties but Iz about knocked me off the seat with something she said. Amy was excitedly talking about the Life Group she and Mark are leading. Amy was talking about the Biblical maps they found and got for the whole group. The she was telling us about a friend in the group that had been to many of the places they are studying about due to serving in the military. She said he had been in Israel, Afghanistan, and Ur. Iz spoke up right away and said, "Is that Ur of the Chaldean's?" Excuse me! How old are you? I guess that's a benefit of Christian education!

Our drive was spectacular! The trees are just beautiful and it was a sunny day. We crossed a couple of huge bridges over the Ohio River and Mississippi River. We drove two hours and were in four states! Wonky boundary lines down south. :) We were in Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri.

Thanks Amy! You made my day off so special and fun. Can't wait for another road trip.

Inside of the New Digs

Bathroom

Kitchen

Kitchen

Laundry next to kitchen

Dinning room

Livingroom

Livingroom

Livingroom

Spare room

Here are some inside shots. Still nothing on the walls but hey...I have curtains
and no boxes!

Outside of the New Digs

The front of the house. It looks way smaller than it is. The window is in the spare bedroom.

The side of the house. The windows are the livingroom and the back door goes into the kitchen.

The pond out back

The front of the house from the road

Trees in our yard

This is a little cemetary and church down the road from us...so pretty to drive by every morning!

Okay, okay...I know I'm super behind on this but here are some pics of the new place. Tomorrow, I'll do some inside shots now that we finally have curtains! Now Micaela can stop bugging me for these. Love ya Mic!

School Program

Travelle, who has a sweet, sweet personality

Pinky

Danielle and brother Robert

Grand ole flag!

Jonas in the black shorts

I was invited to watch some of my kids in their 3rd grade Election Day musical. It was so great to see them in action and spend a little time with them outside church. I went during the afternoon and they begged me to come back for the evening parent's addition. I was so glad I went to both because I had two great conversations with the principal and got to meet a couple of parents who send their kids on the van but don't come to church themselves.

It's so interesting living in the "Bible Belt" because they do things in public schools that would NEVER happen in Iowa. Their program was called "AmeriKids" and their matching t-shirts said "In God we trust." One of their songs was "God Bless America" and we all said the Pledge of Allegiance and sang the National Anthem. I realize in some areas, you can still get away with the pledge and the anthem but you wouldn't see those t-shirts. It was an equally supported candidate presentation full of respect and teachings about the election process. Pretty cool stuff.

God's Promise

Last night we had a wonderful sermon of encouragement and a refreshing worship and prayer time. Our Wednesday night service is always powerful. Pastor Tommy preached from Deuteronomy 28...the blessings of obedience. It has always been one of my favorite passages and I can recite some of it as I've read it so often. We had a prophetic word in a service recently and part of it was the verse in Deuteronomy 28 that says we are "the head, not the tail." Pastor preached about our faithfulness in all things and how we need to not be discouraged by the cares of this world. We need to remember who we are in Christ! We had a few testimonies about how God has blessed faithfulness and it was wonderful to hear some of our friend's victories. I feel like we have been living "the blessings of obedience" these past few months. After a tough year, God restored so much and it's not because we are wonderful people but because we didn't give up and kept Jesus first in our lives.

Amazing Day

Yesterday was so refreshing. Yes, it was a long day of meetings, calendar planning and a hospital visit but it was also a day of prayer. Monday's are staff meeting days for us and Pastor Tommy, Pastor Justin, Hope and I all spent about an hour together praying over our church, community, families, and each other. I have met few people in my life who pray as my pastor does. If you feel you are struggling to get God's attention, call Pastor Tommy....he gets God's attention! I love to pray with my tribe and come together and agree about the needs we have or know of.

Our calendar planning for 2009 went well and we have many opportunities set out to minister to our community. Not just stuff to fill the calendar but things that are intentional in reaching out. For instance, this Sunday we will be setting up for our annual community shopping day. We get people to donate clothing and household items, set up the activities building like a store, and have people come and shop for FREE. We also have all the food items they need for Thanksgiving dinner all bagged up and ready for them. And most importantly, we have a prayer station where we can pray with people before they leave. The whole church comes together for this outreach and with a lot of team work, we will reach hundreds of people with the practical love of Christ. Jesus with skin on!

Last night, we had a two hour Sacred Assembly to pray for our country and today's elections. Those two hours went so fast! Many came and several led out in prayer for different areas of need and for our country as a whole. We had an amazing time of worship. The minute you set foot in the sanctuary you could feel God's presence in a powerful way. Whatever happens today, God is in control!! He will not be surprised by the outcome, He has always known the end result. God's will be done!

We went together as a staff to visit the newest member of First Assembly. Baby Beverly Mae made her appearance a little early but a-okay. She's a sweet little peanut who I got to hold and introduce myself to. I told her we were gonna have lots of fun together learning about Jesus. I LOVE those moments as a children's pastor!

Finished the day off with a little Chinese food with my hunky husband, favorite pastor and my new girlfriend, Deana. Nothing like good food and the fellowship of friends!

Giant Haystack

Building the base.

This trailer was full before we started! 205 bales!

It's gi-nor-mous!

Pastor Tommy and his beautiful daughter Tiffany

Hot Dogs anyone?

Corban and Lilly

There were lots of smiling faces!

Some of the crew!

The Giant Haystack was indeed giant! We used almost 200 bales of hay and it looked great. Our layout worked out very well and all of our volunteers did an awesome job manning their posts! The weather was perfect!! We had about 15 new families from the neighborhood come for the fun and a couple who are planning on visiting the church. Many of our church regulars were there, too, including folks who don't have kids left at home! Overall our numbers weren't what I had hoped but everyone said they had a great time and hung around for most of the evening. The smiling faces of those kids coming out of the haystack with hay sticking out everywhere was well worth all the work! My pastor was happy with the turn out. Everything you do for the first time is an experiment, for sure. I already have ideas of changes that may work better for next year. We had a lot more competition than I realized. The downtown merchants had a "trunk or treat" and there were other activities around town. I think next year we'll have it on a different night than trick or treat. I thought that having it on the same night would be to our benefit but I think it hurt us. Anyway....all in all it was good and can only get better. We had a lot of leftover hot dogs so guess what the kids are getting for a snack tonight at church? :)

Quick Post

Just a quick post to say I am beyond excited for the Giant Haystack! I'm nervous about not knowing how much food and how many prizes to have but it will all come together. I've been getting a lot of great feed back about the fliers we passed out at the schools. Our event was announced on three radio stations, too. We just want to be a light in our neighborhood and provide a safe alternative to Halloween tricks. It will be fun to see how many come dressed up. I don't have time to even think about a costume! Pics and more tomorrow....please pray for us. The weather couldn't be more beautiful. Last I heard it's supposed to be 73 degrees today! Can I get a woot woot for Union City and Jesus!?

Three Days...

Until the Giant Haystack! I can't wait. Randy and I delivered nearly 3000 fliers today and am so thankful for the opportunity God provided. It was such a beautiful day here and by Friday, it's supposed to 69! Can I get a woot woot? Perfect for the haystack! I still have lots of things to do but it's all coming together. It being the first year to ever do anything like this in Union City, I'm not sure how many bags of candy to prepare. I have enough candy to do 350 bags but may get more tomorrow night when folks come to church. We have 500 hot dogs to grill! I am just praying that we can touch many families with some love and friendship and FUN. Building a bridge in our neighborhood!

We have about 200 bales of hay being delivered tomorrow afternoon. Should be quite a sight. The gentleman that we are getting the hay from is excited about our event, too. He's giving us a great deal on the hay and delivering it himself and picking up what we don't split. Sweeeeet!

Side note, Sunday was Pastor Appreciation Day and our church treated us like royalty! So many thoughtful cards, gifts, and a HUGE grocery shower. I'll probably only need to buy milk and bread for a couple months. I found out that some of the older folks in the south call a grocery shower a "pounding"...never heard of that before! For only being on staff for a month, I sure felt loved. Praising God daily for bringing us here.

Second side note...my friend Chrysti back in Iowa had her first baby today! A little boy named Qwintyn Forest Weeks. Can't wait to see some pics! He's an absolute miracle from God.

Third side note...my buddy Devon called from Iowa just to chat. Oh how I miss that boy. He has a birthday coming up, gonna be 15. He and his mom are trying to plan a trip to Tennessee. Sure pray that can happen.

My Kids

My kids..."Pinky" in light blue and Ricky in orange.

This afternoon, I got to experience something new. Here in Union City, we have a Boys and Girls Club that is very well attended and MUCH needed. Many of my new kids go there after school and when school is out, some spend all day there. I met the chief professional officer and the club director, who I have heard run the Club with excellence and love. They were awesome to watch in action as they had a gym full of kids there to receive recognition for making school honor role. Two of "my kids" got straight A's!! Not an easy feat considering some of the things they have to endure.

Several of the kids who ride the van to church were present and it was a little funny to see their expressions when they saw me there. And then... it touched my heart when I got hugs and invitations to come back and asked to come to school programs and those huge, huge smiles. It's hard to understand why some children have to live the way they do. I can only pray that what I do makes some sort of impact and positive addition to their lives. I hope that I can make them understand how much Jesus loves them and how they may still have struggles but Jesus is always there with them, helping, loving, leading, empowering and teaching. Those faces make me pray harder and determined to help them be chain breakers and warriors for Christ. We must be intentional in reaching this generation as time is running out before Jesus returns.

I hope I have an opportunity to spend some time there. Maybe it will be another door the Lord will open. Say a prayer for the club...please.

God's Favor

Just a quick post as I'm at the office but had to stop and give God some glory! I found out on Monday that I have been approved to pass out fliers for the Giant Haystack at UC Elementary and all FIVE county schools, too! That's over 2500 fliers in the hands of our mission field. It was more that I even asked for...isn't that just like God!? I may need some extra hands for the job...anyone coming from Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Oregon, Minnesota, etc. to help? :)

Weekend Stuff

I can't believe I did my fourth Sunday service in Union City! Time is clipping right along. It was a great day in Kid's Inc. We were missing a few regulars due to a nasty flu bug going around here but had a new family and two families that hadn't been to church in quite a while (I was told) come back.

We have been in a series about prayer and today my old friend Lucy made her debut with a doozer of a story that ended with her learning about intercessory prayer. The kids seemed to think Lucy was a little crazy and a lot funny so I think she'll be welcomed back. Good ole Lucy Elizabeth Christina Josephina Smith. And, of course, her BFF, Bear. Tennessee kids are hesitant to kiss Bear just like Iowa kids! Too funny. The story was about Cindy Woo. as Lucy pronounces it, but when the straight person said Cindy Woo, Lucy would get frustrated and say, "NOT Cindy Woo....Cindy Woo!" Then one of the kids would say Cindy Lou and i would reply, "That's what I said! Cindy Woo."

After church, I fed the Kid's Inc. team some of Amy's famous chicken and rice. (side note....it would have tasted oh so much better if Amy would have come here and fixed it for me personally) After we ate, we had our first full team meeting and I think it went well. Everyone is always on board with changes and tweaks and it sure makes my job a lot easier. It's a great group of people who have the biggest servant's hearts. We got some planning done and a whole lot of vision casting. Thanks team!

Following our Sunday PM discipleship classes, we were invited to have dinner at George and Evy's house. We had the best potato soup EVER and as good as the eats were, the fellowship was even better. Our friends Ken and Debra came along, too. It's so cool how the family of God can bind together in a small amount of time. Feels like we've been buddies forever.

Heart of Compassion

Wednesday night, Pastor Tommy preached an awesome message about having compassion towards the lost people around us who need Jesus. It was such an inspiring word and lined up with what I've been praying every day. I've been asking the Lord to show us people everywhere we go that need some love, compassion, and hope. I know I'm guilty of going about my daily life and not being aware of divine appointments that I'm sure are all around me. I'm asking God to help me pay closer attention. Is my agenda so important that I can't take five minutes to stop and really talk to the grocery store clerk or the cashier at Walmart? Am I too busy to be kind to a person I pass on the street? Am I so afraid of rejection that I can't be bold enough to invite someone to church? What about that server who is knocking themselves out to take care of my dining needs? Can't I appreciate it enough to tell them about our church and maybe have God make a huge difference in their lives? Maybe they have kids who have never heard the name of Jesus. Get over yourself, Lori.

Pastor Tommy used an example from his own life that just happened the other day. He saw a woman who was obviously hurting with the cares of life. He was on a mission and got in his truck and pulled away and the Holy Spirit spoke to him and he knew he had to stop, go back and talk to that woman. When he turned back, she was gone. He had missed a prime opportunity. I know most of us have had that happen and probably on more than one occasion.

This is my prayer today....God, help us to be more aware and in tune with what you are showing us as opportunities. Let us see past the outward evidence of sin and have compassion. Let us not assume the person who seems to have it all together is "right" with you because of appearances. As Pastor Tommy said, let us see people through Your lens of redemption. Lord, people scoffed at Jesus for hanging out with tax collectors and such but let us not care what others think. Let us have Your heart and remember You died for ALL. Amen!

Awesome Sunday and Even Monday

We had great services in Kid's Inc. on Sunday morning! We had 60 in the children's department and five brand new kids to love. I preached the first part of a three part series on prayer and our first sermon was based on Matthew 18:18; I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in Heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in Heaven. Our Big Idea was "Jesus Gives Me Authority!" As I preached about the authority we have in Jesus name, I also taught how we cannot receive that authority until Jesus is totally in control of our lives and we have received Him as Lord and Savior. Seven children came to Christ that morning. I am praising God for each soul and humbly asking God to allow us to minister to more each week. We spent part of Saturday afternoon visiting some of our van kids in their homes and I saw first hand the suffering that these babies endure each day. I left there broken and overwhelmed at the needs but trusting the Lord to give us the time, manpower and resources to reach these kids. I am so blessed to have a team of people who have servants hearts and are open to me changing and tweaking things. Together, we are going to do our best to reach out to a cross section of kids in our county. I found my pastor in the Kid's Church area Sunday morning praying his heart out for the kid's services and I was so thankful for him taking time to come back to do that. We always pray together on Sunday mornings but usually in his office. I know his prayers made a huge difference.

The Lord was showing me this morning in prayer that the Giant Haystack is going to be the first slat in the bridge that we need to build into our own neighborhood. Our church is blessed to be located in a very nice section of the city. When you drive down the streets you see nice homes with new cars and all kinds of "toys" that the whole family enjoys. Their lives are seemingly perfect...they have what appears to be all they need. But they are as lost as those in that needy area of town. They may look happy on the outside but they have sin, dispare, loneliness, addictions and sadness just the same as anyone. God, please give me your creativeness and wisdom to know how to bridge the gaps and love all who need you!

Monday meetings are very exciting. No...really...I love Monday meetings. I'm NOT being sarcastic! It's a joy to go over all we need to do because our team is operating with like-mindedness and the attitude that we are working together. It's not the children's department vs the youth, or that "Big Church" is the most important. We are all supporting each other and it's fun to put our heads and hearts together for this vision for Union City! We pray together over each area and seek God's leading. It's great, too, that we can laugh together! We do know how to have fun and everyone is finding out all my quirky ways and have plenty to tease me about.

Ladies Retreat

I had a wonderful time at our Ladies Retreat last Friday and Saturday. We traveled about one hour from Union City to Paris, TN to the conference center at Paris Landing Tennessee State Park. It's located on the Kentucky Lake and was breath-takingly (is that a word?) beautiful! Our speaker was Kelly Woods, the pastor's wife and worship leader at Raleigh Assembly of God in Memphis. The girl could flat out sing AND preach! She really challenged us but we all fell in love with her sweet personality and passion for Jesus.

I got the biggest kick out of my pastor's wife, Deana. She was a hoot playing Spades with some of the gals and I got to witness her competitive side. She's soooo much fun and so real around everyone. Love, love, love her! We had to laugh at ourselves because we kept getting turned around in the hotel and loosing our way.

It was fun getting to know some of the ladies in the church that I hadn't been around very much. Everyone enjoyed some girl time, which I know doesn't happen often enough for most.

Giant Haystack

Here it comes...Union City's first Giant Haystack! On Friday, October 31, we are reaching out to our community with a city wide event to help redeem Halloween for the Lord! This family fun night is right in the backyard of Union City First Assembly of God, 1810 Pleasant Valley Ave. The evening starts at 5 PM and will finish by 8 PM and we will be serving FREE hot dogs, hot chocolate, and coffee. Every child attending receives a bag of candy with all of our church information. Kids will enter the Giant Haystack in age groups, 3 yrs. old- 6th grade, for a 15 minute mission to find a specially marked ball to redeem for a prize. People are encouraged to register for our family gift basket with something for the whole family! The drawing will be at 7:45 PM, after the final group in the haystack. Invite the whole city!

Entering the Giant Haystack:
3 yrs. old – 5 yrs. old (preschool) 5:30-5:45
Kindergarten – 2nd grade 6:00-6:15
3rd – 4th grade 6:30-6:45
5th-6th grade 7:15-7:30
(if needed, we will have additional times for larger groups)

Meetin' the Mucky Mucks and Cool Stuff

Tuesday night, we had a dinner hosted at our church for all the Assembly of God pastors in our section of the district. We had the pleasure of meeting the Tennessee state superintendent and some of the other leadership. One guy I was super impressed with was the state District Youth Director, Terry Allen. What a great guy. He and I have had a few e-mail conversations but we got to talk about one of my favorite things in person....CAMP! He showed a video of one of their youth camps and I just sat at our table with tears running down my face as the video highlighted kids lost in worship and prayer. I cannot wait to take my new kids to camp! It was nice to meet some other area pastors and our dinner was delllll-ish. Can't beat Joe's Steak House and their flat iron steak!

I had a great meeting with the assistant principal at the UC Elementary today! God is opening doors for us to have opportunities to spend time with kids and have influence. Thank you Lord for these opportunities and may we be good stewards with each path you are clearing. The principal invited me to come to their programs and said "We would love your presence at any of our events or programs." Wow! I am praying hard for the schools to allow me to do a Character Connex by next fall. I truly believe that if UC is gonna be won for Jesus, it will be greatly dependent upon children leading them! The kids of UC are going to be "chain-breakers" in this community. It's a place where single moms abound and in Jesus name that will no longer be the "norm"!! As we touch kids with the love of Jesus and are careful to disciple them, they will carry the Gospel to places I cannot go and influence a circle of people I cannot influence. It thrills me to think how Jesus is going to do this and keeps me crying out to Him for inspiration and creative thinking to reach as many kids as possible. I have my third principal meeting scheduled and I'm praying for more favor.

Tonight, before service, it happened. I felt "the connection" starting. I had two little girls who are sisters come find me and give me some un-asked-for hugs and they were super excited to tell me the scripture verse from Sunday. I was so proud of them and Pastor Tommy arrived just in time to hear the older one recite the verse. I get so blessed when a child can tell me what they learned 3 or 4 days later and sometimes even after a month when you aren't sure if they are listening. God's Word never returns void! I've had so many parents and church members tell us how thankful they are to have us in UC but they don't understand it is we who are blessed.

Randy's foot is doing much better and he is able to walk some without the crutches. Yeah! He is still waiting on job news. I am at peace about it...trusting in God's perfect timing and fully confident that He is my source, not a paycheck. We are praying, of course, but not panicking.

Sunday Update

Can you hear my sigh? I just sat down to unwind. :) What a great day! The weather has been nothing but picture perfect here in Union City since we arrived last week. We had one hitch in the week that involved a trip to the Baptist Hospital ER. And it wasn't for me! Randy's right foot was super sore after loading the truck and driving for so many hours. It seemed to be getting better but Friday morning he stepped down and heard a loud pop and was suddenly in horrible pain and couldn't put any weight on it. Off to the ER for xrays. Thankfully there was no break but a horrible sprain involving crutches, ice and being house bound for a few days. I'm telling you, he'll do anything to get out of unpacking boxes! Hee hee. He's doing better and I think he'll be up and around by Tuesday. Unfortunately, this delayed the unpacking a bit. Grrrr...boxes. You know me, I'm a get 'er done gal and this is trying my patience. How can a person have so much patience with children and very little in such trivial areas?

Today's services were great. We had some technical glitches but I think I can figure out what I need to change...just have to play with our Media Shout program. We have a great problem that we need to iron out. We have so many kids who want to ride the van that we are making multiple runs. We are in need of some extra hands to man a staging area for the early arrivers on both Sunday AM and Sunday afternoon for discipleship classes, Rangers and MPact girls. Like I said, great problem to have and I'm so thankful that we have such an awesome facility in our Activities Building where we can greet the early van kids and let them blow off a little energy. So this week me and Jesus will be spending some extra time together to figure this all out. Like my pastor says, "I need to get the mind of the Holy Spirit on this." Glad I don't have to solve it alone!

Micaela has a couple friends coming home with her for Thanksgiving. Yippee! I can't wait for our new church family to meet our girl and for her to meet them. I think almost every time we talk I mention some other person or family I want her to meet. I know she'll love Pastor Tommy and Deana, Pastor Justin and Hope but there are so many others I want her to meet. People who are so precious like Ma and Pa Smothers! The just ooze the love of Jesus. Thanksgiving will be super fun but not the same without Keaton. He'll be working at the Apple store. Retail...whatya do?

I'm looking forward to Friday afternoon when the ladies of the church will be leaving for a little women's retreat. We are traveling to Paris....Paris, TN, that is! Excited to build some relationships and get to know more people. Our speaker is a pastor's wife from Memphis. Sounds like there may be a little shopping involved...even some window shopping will be fun.

How's Your Prayer Life?

How's yours? Mine has been evolving the past two years. I love the following quote that I found on one of my fav blogs.

"Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen; such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven on earth. God does nothing but in answer to prayer." — John Wesley

I cannot pretend to be some incredible prayer perfectionist. Sometimes I'm sure God wonders if I can make anyone understand what I'm trying to spit out but He knows my heart, mind and intention. I'm sure sometimes my prayers are selfish and spoke in frustration. But none the less, it is communication with my Father and He would rather me fumble through what I'm trying to say than not spend time with Him at all. Thank God (literally) for the Holy Spirit and having the gift of a heavenly language that is perfect and only understood by the Lord. Prayer builds my faith, especially when my faith is lacking. You may say, "Duh, PL, everyone knows that." But when our faith is lagging, we don't always think clearly enough to do what is obvious.

When I think about the vision God has given me for the children of Union City, I am overwhelmed with a sense of unworthiness and that there is no way I can accomplish what He has asked me to do. I hope I always feel that. What, you say? I want to always feel like everything and anything that I do relies on God. I can work hard but I need to pray harder! Like Mark Batterson says, "I need to work like it depends on me but pray like it depends on God." Lord, please let me always remember that!

I have learned the power of praying right on the spot when a need arises. I have tried to stop saying, "I'll pray about that." and start saying, "Let's pray now." I need to get better at it but I'm practicing. One thing that I'm learning about my new pastor is that he is an incredible man of prayer. I want to learn to be more like that. He will spontaneously start praying while having a conversation about something and I LOVE that. Does prayer come naturally? Not for most. For most, it's a practiced habit. When I teach kids about prayer, I usually speak about how they get better in a sport or activity when they practice. Same goes for prayer.

One other thing that I have always known but haven't always taken full advantage of is praying scripture. How better to communicate with the Lord than using the very Word He wrote? Jesus did it....if it's good for Jesus, it works for me!!

Randy and I have not always made it a habit to pray together and I can tell you it makes a HUGE difference in your marriage relationship. It not only binds your hearts together in a beautiful spiritual way but it has this amazing trickle down effect that changes the dynamic of your whole relationship from daily conversation to even the bedroom. Yes...I said it! (Micaela is now officially embarrassed.) Try and prove me wrong, if you'd like! What do you have to lose? Pray with your spouse...and I mean more than dinner time. :)

What works for you? Early morning, late night, in a quiet, private room, on the spot, when you can have a list in front of you, in your car. I have to be careful how I pray in my car. I have been too emotional sometimes and about drove off the road cuz I can't see through tears. Anyone care to weigh in?