Well, my sister Trissy is sick, so she couldn't go to church and I told Dad and Mom I'd stay with her and they could go together. Their class lets out earlier than the young people's class, so it just made sense for them to go, and us to stay, that way no one would be waiting on anyone. But I got some of the 'news' from them :) . Bro. Dennis was there and evidently back to his normal self. Dad is not one to talk alot, but when I asked him if there was anything interesting he wanted to tell that happened in the men's class, he said, "It just does me good to see all those boys there. ... it comforts me to know the world is a better place because of people like that.", and I believe I quote. It did my heart good to hear him say that! He's not one to express his deeper feelings just because they are there! He only tells them if he's asked or if it's something he feels compeled to voice because of some relevant issue. And he had never really told his over-all feeling about what he thinks about this church. But that let me know, even if he's not as 'verbose' in his praise, he still loves it. *BTW, when he says "boys", he means any man younger than him or near his age :).*
Oh man, sorry, I've got to go for now. Seems I am always getting interrupted before I get a topic or thought finished. But anyway, Lord willing I can post some more later, maybe tommorrow.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Bro. Dennis, Mrs. Carrie, and "Swu"
I'm so glad it's Wednesday!! We'll get to go to church tonight! Ok, that probably sounds put-on and gushy, but I assure you it's not. I love to be at Victory Rd.! Often I wish I could just go and sit in the auditorium, just to be there. The atmosphere of sincerity, love, and worship seems to linger in the air even when there is nobody there. Anyway, maybe tonight I can find out if Bro. Dennis is well yet.
Bro. Dennis is Bro. Earl's oldest son. He's 34 and teaches the college Sunday School class, is the associate pastor, he's in charge of music, and a hundred other things, it seems. He is amazing - he's like an encyclopedia when it comes to the Bible, music, and (I have a feeling) alot of other things as well. He works as a counselor at a drug and alchohol rehab, and the stress he's under from being in such a spiritually 'dirty' environment is unbelievable. But he doesn't talk about it much, and you would never guess it, if you hadn't heard and didn't know. He is probably the biggest tease I've ever met in my life! He loves to pick on people, but he's the kind of person who's just such an honor to even know, that you find yourself wanting him to pick on you, 'cause you know that if he teases you, that means he likes you! It's so funny to see him and his wife, Mrs. Carrie, together though! She is real calm and sophisticated and stately (but not at all stuck-up or anything! She's wonderful, you've just got to get to know how to 'read' her) and he is so boisterous and hillareous, and always joking or teasing. I guess opposites really do attract, as they say. Their story is really neat too. They are 5 years apart, but he's liked her ever since she was 15, so he just waited for her, and when she was old enough, they got married! I love them both so much. One sad thing though, is that they don't have any children. They've been married about 7 years, I think, and they lost one baby, but they both love kids, and my sister and I (and some others) have been praying for the Lord to give them children. If you want to help us, that would be wonderful! Whenever you think about it. We also set aside a time to pray at 8:30, A.M. and P.M., specifically for this. I have this feeling that He will, but He's just wanting to teach me patience. It's something I want so much for them, and I think He just wants to see if I am willing to just trust Him and wait on His timing.
That's kindof swerving off the original subject, but now you know two more of the special characters in this story. :)
Anyway, in class last Wednesday (the young people meet together on Wednesday nights for their own class) we heard that both of them had the Swine Flu, but Mrs. Carrie didn't have it as bad evidently, cause she was at church Saturday (I'll explain that in another post) and acted like she was fine. Sunday, though, Bro. Dennis wasn't at church cause he was still so bad sick, and his mother Mrs. Shannen (who works at the clinic) had gotten it from him, so she wasn't able to be there either! So maybe tonight we can find out how they are. That makes 6 people at church who have had Swine Flu, or "Swu" as Tanner (the younger brother of one of the young men in our Sun. School class) likes to call it ;) Hope nobody else gets it!
Bro. Dennis is Bro. Earl's oldest son. He's 34 and teaches the college Sunday School class, is the associate pastor, he's in charge of music, and a hundred other things, it seems. He is amazing - he's like an encyclopedia when it comes to the Bible, music, and (I have a feeling) alot of other things as well. He works as a counselor at a drug and alchohol rehab, and the stress he's under from being in such a spiritually 'dirty' environment is unbelievable. But he doesn't talk about it much, and you would never guess it, if you hadn't heard and didn't know. He is probably the biggest tease I've ever met in my life! He loves to pick on people, but he's the kind of person who's just such an honor to even know, that you find yourself wanting him to pick on you, 'cause you know that if he teases you, that means he likes you! It's so funny to see him and his wife, Mrs. Carrie, together though! She is real calm and sophisticated and stately (but not at all stuck-up or anything! She's wonderful, you've just got to get to know how to 'read' her) and he is so boisterous and hillareous, and always joking or teasing. I guess opposites really do attract, as they say. Their story is really neat too. They are 5 years apart, but he's liked her ever since she was 15, so he just waited for her, and when she was old enough, they got married! I love them both so much. One sad thing though, is that they don't have any children. They've been married about 7 years, I think, and they lost one baby, but they both love kids, and my sister and I (and some others) have been praying for the Lord to give them children. If you want to help us, that would be wonderful! Whenever you think about it. We also set aside a time to pray at 8:30, A.M. and P.M., specifically for this. I have this feeling that He will, but He's just wanting to teach me patience. It's something I want so much for them, and I think He just wants to see if I am willing to just trust Him and wait on His timing.
That's kindof swerving off the original subject, but now you know two more of the special characters in this story. :)
Anyway, in class last Wednesday (the young people meet together on Wednesday nights for their own class) we heard that both of them had the Swine Flu, but Mrs. Carrie didn't have it as bad evidently, cause she was at church Saturday (I'll explain that in another post) and acted like she was fine. Sunday, though, Bro. Dennis wasn't at church cause he was still so bad sick, and his mother Mrs. Shannen (who works at the clinic) had gotten it from him, so she wasn't able to be there either! So maybe tonight we can find out how they are. That makes 6 people at church who have had Swine Flu, or "Swu" as Tanner (the younger brother of one of the young men in our Sun. School class) likes to call it ;) Hope nobody else gets it!
VRCA, finishing a thought
Ok sorry, I kind of got interrupted there. Anyway, Bro. Earl is so neat. He's 56, and has got two kids, (one of which is the Sunday School teacher for our college class - but more on him later) so he's really good as a pastor - he's like this father figure with alot of experience. But he's got this great sense of humor, and loves to tease. He's great! I love it when I run into him at the school, cause he always has something funny and encouraging to say. And he's got these bright blue eyes that snap and sparkle at you from behind his glasses when he's discussing some deep theological idea - which he's found out my sister, Trissy, and I love to do. So, needless to say, he enjoys talking with us cause we love talking about the Bible!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Working at Victory Road Christian Academy
Our church also has a Christian school in town, and I work with another girl in 'after-care' - where the kids can stay after school until their parents or someone can come and pick them up, if the parents can't be there to get them right when school lets out. It's a good job, really. I'm so grateful to have a job, and especially in that type of Christian environment! It is hard though sometimes, 'cause many of the kids were not raised like I have been, and there are a couple who are just blatantly disobedient and disrespectful. Their parents are divorced, and they don't get consistent, loving care and discipline at 'home' (if you could call it that), so I can hardly blame them. It's just hard to know how to deal with it in an appropriate way when they are rude to me. Well, well, enough of the melancholy! Bro. Earl - our pastor - is also the principle, so sometimes I see him when I'm there, and he is so fun that it always perks me up!
How Do I Start?
I'm at a lost as to how to start! I'll just start right in on the actual journalling, and describe the individual people as I go, I guess, though I'd really like to start out giving a detailed description of the appearance and personality of each person to begin with! One of my hobbies is writing fiction (just for my own enjoyment, not to publish or anything-at least not yet) and I guess that's where the urge to begin at the beginning and solidify each character as I go along comes from. But you've already missed the beginning of the story! And I can't go back and tell all that has happened from then 'til now, especially in order - my memory is just not that good! :)
Monday, November 2, 2009
The People Make The Place
You've just got to understand that it's the people who give the church it's spirit - after all, the people are the church! I guess that's what drew me right off - the spirit. The people wanted to be there; they wanted to worship God and learn about Him! It was a growing, breathing, alive place! A place where God was honored, and things were happening. Victory Rd. wasn't one of those 'dead' churches - it was alive and growing! I loved it there - still do! :)
A Little History...
Hello there! Can't believe I've only posted once! I was so anxious to get this started! I've been pretty busy with college, and just haven't gotten a chance.
Wow! It's kind of hard to just jump in... you'd need to know my life's history for the past 10 months or so to understand all I'm saying and feeling. Guess I'll just start and try to explain, as best I can, those 10 months - in a nutshell.
In September, I believe, of last year (2008) the pastor of the church my family were members of felt (for various reasons that I won't go into detail on just now) that the Lord was telling him it was time to move on, so he resigned as pastor. It was really hard... especially since his wife is my mom's cousin (making their kids mine and my sister's cousins) and we were/are really close to them. I don't have any brothers, but I've always wanted them, and Ben (the oldest of the two boys, and the third child, but almost ten years younger than me) and I have always been close, best friends really, and I always called him my "adopted little brother" :) . We'd all gotten used to seeing each other and fellowshipping three times a week! Before we joined there, it seemed like we all never got to see each other enough. And Cousin Jonathan was such a dedicated, hard-working, deep-stuff preacher, it seemed that each service, I always came away with something 'deep' and new to ponder and think about. Anyway, long story short, it was really hard when things as we knew them were no longer that way. Cousin Jonathan and them went to a church near where they live, and eventually joined there, after visiting for quite a while, and feeling like that was where the Lord would have them settle. But us? Well, all I can say is that there followed for my family about five painful months of visiting church after church, or sometimes having 'church' alone in our house because it was just so emotionally, physically, and/or spiritually exhausting to keep 'being burnt' at every place we'd visit. 'Burnt' in the sense that each place we'd go, there was something that wasn't quite right about it, and we just couldn't all feel the Lord leading us to "that one either."
Finally in February, one Saturday afternoon at lunch, I think it was, we were considering (again) where we would go to church the next morning. Then Dad mentioned a church in town (we live about 7 miles out in the country) and asked if we'd all feel like trying there. It was right under our nose! I still don't know why we hadn't thought to visit there long before then. But when Dad mentioned it, the rest of us were just about ready to try any suggestion, once anyway. So that's what we did. That first Sunday we just went to morning service, just to see. Looking back, it makes me laugh to think of my first impressions! I had been disappointed soooo many times, that at this point, I was just about automatically finding things to pick on - not intentionally, just, well, I was afraid to hope. On our way back to the house after the morning church service, we all agreed that it was worth going again, "just to see". So next Sunday found us there again. And the next. Then we started going for evening service and Sunday school as well. By the second Sunday though, I knew Victory Road Baptist Church was my home.
Wow! It's kind of hard to just jump in... you'd need to know my life's history for the past 10 months or so to understand all I'm saying and feeling. Guess I'll just start and try to explain, as best I can, those 10 months - in a nutshell.
In September, I believe, of last year (2008) the pastor of the church my family were members of felt (for various reasons that I won't go into detail on just now) that the Lord was telling him it was time to move on, so he resigned as pastor. It was really hard... especially since his wife is my mom's cousin (making their kids mine and my sister's cousins) and we were/are really close to them. I don't have any brothers, but I've always wanted them, and Ben (the oldest of the two boys, and the third child, but almost ten years younger than me) and I have always been close, best friends really, and I always called him my "adopted little brother" :) . We'd all gotten used to seeing each other and fellowshipping three times a week! Before we joined there, it seemed like we all never got to see each other enough. And Cousin Jonathan was such a dedicated, hard-working, deep-stuff preacher, it seemed that each service, I always came away with something 'deep' and new to ponder and think about. Anyway, long story short, it was really hard when things as we knew them were no longer that way. Cousin Jonathan and them went to a church near where they live, and eventually joined there, after visiting for quite a while, and feeling like that was where the Lord would have them settle. But us? Well, all I can say is that there followed for my family about five painful months of visiting church after church, or sometimes having 'church' alone in our house because it was just so emotionally, physically, and/or spiritually exhausting to keep 'being burnt' at every place we'd visit. 'Burnt' in the sense that each place we'd go, there was something that wasn't quite right about it, and we just couldn't all feel the Lord leading us to "that one either."
Finally in February, one Saturday afternoon at lunch, I think it was, we were considering (again) where we would go to church the next morning. Then Dad mentioned a church in town (we live about 7 miles out in the country) and asked if we'd all feel like trying there. It was right under our nose! I still don't know why we hadn't thought to visit there long before then. But when Dad mentioned it, the rest of us were just about ready to try any suggestion, once anyway. So that's what we did. That first Sunday we just went to morning service, just to see. Looking back, it makes me laugh to think of my first impressions! I had been disappointed soooo many times, that at this point, I was just about automatically finding things to pick on - not intentionally, just, well, I was afraid to hope. On our way back to the house after the morning church service, we all agreed that it was worth going again, "just to see". So next Sunday found us there again. And the next. Then we started going for evening service and Sunday school as well. By the second Sunday though, I knew Victory Road Baptist Church was my home.
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