Thankful Thursday

What a crazy week!  But so many things to be thankful for

1.  Praisin in the Park has been awesome.  I am SO proud of our teenagers for the awesome job they have done with everything they have been involved with.  I love you guys!
2. Praisin in the Park is over tonight!  It has been great but a little hectic – glad to get back to normal.
3.  The call God has placed on our family.  I remind my kids how much of an important part of ministry they are.  Mike did a great job with the teaching time on Sunday night with the kids.  He sounded like such a preacher:)
4.  God holding back the rain last night – the storm went around us.
5.  The sound of the rain and thunder outside right now.  I love thunderstorms – just praying it will all be gone by tonight.
6.  My kids with their night vision goggles, spy gadgets, and flash lights getting ready for the big thunderstorm (gotta have those flashlights in the middle of the day)
7.  God’s patience with our meager efforts to bring glory to Him

Praisin’ in the Park

If you want to see what is eating up my bloggin’ time go here. Check out the pictures from the last couple of nights. If you haven’t been down to check it out – your missing it!! EVERYONE pray for no rain tonight!

I don’t have time for a real post.  We didn’t have internet access while we were in SC for our retreat so I am looking forward to catching up on blog reading and posting.  Mike had a few minutes to put some highlights of our trip on his site.  Check it out here.  There are some pictures there.  

Thankful Thursday

Well, it’s almost Thursday so I am going to go ahead with my list.  If I were white and nerdy like my hubby I would know how to make this post tomorrow morning.

1.  The smoky smell in my house from making smores with the kids tonight.  It felt like camping, sitting on a blanket by the fire while the kids caught lightening bug – actually better than camping because I can sleep in my bed.
2.  Catching up with old friends from our Snow Hill Youth Group days at Jordan and Kody’s wedding.
3.  Squirting Mike and hearing my kids laugh at the bumper boats at Celebration Station in Greensboro.
4.  Eleven people that followed Jesus’ command in baptism on Sunday!  May God continue to bless Cornerstone
5.  Hiking with our amazing teens at Pilot Mountain on Tuesday.  You guys are the best even if you did saran wrap the car and put fishing line all over the driveway 🙂
6. The awesome opportunity to talk to our teenage girls about purity on our retreat next week.  Not to mention we are retreating at the beach.  I am always thankful for the beach!
7.  Ok I have to say it.  I am thankful for laundry.  It is overtaking my house today but we have nice clothes to wear and a nice washer and dryer and a house with closets to hang it all in.
What are you thankful for?

Free Falling




We took a nice hike up to the Cascades in Pembroke, VA (near Blacksburg). We had been there a couple of times while we were in college at VT. It is one of the most beautiful trails I have ever been on. The trail winds through the Jefferson National Forrest by a beautiful creek. There are falls all the way to the top. The kids did great – even Drew walked almost all of the 5 mile loop.
Check out the pictures.

Talent from Galax

On Tuesday night Alex Pyles was on America’s Got Talent.  Alex is 10 years old and is a part of our homeschool co-operative.  Watch the You Tube video to see her martial arts/self defense act with her dad.  And yes, that’ how we talk around here.  After you watch this you’ll see why I always gave her good grades in class.  Way to go Alex!  

What do people need?

I am getting ready for a couple of meetings this morning and took a few minutes to catch up on some blog reading.  I read this post from Perry Noble and it really hits home.  I have been constantly evaluating in my mind how I think about people that are far from God and how Jesus would have responded in situations and how I need to get outside my “Christian bubble”.  Perry shares an experience he had when he helped a man up that had fallen.  You have to read it.  People need a hand, someone to help them up, someone to care and show them Jesus.  They don’t need another theological discussion, budget meeting, or church potluck.  They don’t need us to sit around listening to our Christian music, reading our Christian books, watching our Christian movies, hanging out with our Christian friends.  They need us to notice that they have fallen and pick them up.  They need us to get out of what is comfortable and safe and pick them up where they are.  They need us to remember that we have all been flat on our faces before and it’s only by God’s grace that we can help them find the Jesus that picked us up.