Thanksgiving Every Day

Okay, so this picture is a couple of years old, and one of my goals before the end of this year must be to get an updated family photo.

I am the most blessed man. Jesus saw fit to take my sins upon Himself, so I could be declared "not guilty" before a Holy and Righteous God. I could stop right there and that would be more than enough evidence to back up my claim of being the most blessed man. But, God didn't stop there. He blesses me with:
**My Bride, Peggy. She has put up with me all these years (we dated for four years before getting married nearly 28 1/2 years ago). Peggy is my best friend and the love of my life. I could not have asked for a better life partner. Always supportive, always giving, and not afraid to kick me in the butt when needed (and that is often), Peggy is the BEST part of me.

**Our children, Emily, Ian, Elliott and Abi. Yes, God has blessed us with four kids (we don't do the in-law thing around here) who love Jesus and serve Him with their whole hearts. It has been, and continues to be, such a blessing watching them grow in their faith, and watching them express that faith.

**My Dad, who is now living with us. Dad taught me what unconditional love was like. Dad taught me the good parts about being a father, and I could never repay him for that. To have him with us now is an adjustment for everyone involved, but I LOVE having my Dad with us. Let me refer back to my comments about Peggy in this matter as well, she is so supportive, loving, and great making this transition in our lives.

**Vero Christian Church, our home and our family. We LOVE serving God through the ministry of Vero Christian Church, and feel so blessed to work beside our elders, deacons and staff. Working with Steve Jones is a blessing beyond words. His support and Christian love for me and for what I do around here makes my labor for the Lord that much more enjoyable. Working with our praise team in rehearsals is the highlight of my week, surpassed only by what we do on Sunday mornings! Working in the student ministry is still a great passion of mine, and our youth sponsors are phenomenal.

**Christian brothers and sisters around the country and around the globe. I am so grateful for the communication age in which we live. Being able to stay in touch with dear brothers and sisters in Christ through the Internet and through text messaging keeps me grounded. I miss being able to be with "the crew" in person, but since we are now scattered all over the country literally, at least I get to be with them in Cyberspace or via the cell phone!

**Living in Vero Beach, FL. I always teased that I thought God was calling me to a "beach ministry" never dreaming that I would actually live in a beach town. In Florida no less! Wow, God You ARE amazing!

During this Thanksgiving season, I am reminded that I need to be thankful every day. I try to be, but I don't always express that thanks properly. May this be the year that all of that changes for the better. To God be the glory always. Praise God from Whom all blessings flow, and make no mistake, they are overflowing in my life!

Remembering Mom

Mom would be celebrating a birthday today. Because Mom was a lady, I won;'t reveal which birthday it would have been, but it would have been a BIG ONE. It's amazing to me how that after 16 years since she passed from this life due to pancreatic cancer, I still miss her so badly every single day. The picture here is my favorite one ever of Mom. I snapped it while she was ironing (obviously) and if there was one domestic chore she hated, it was IRONING! You can see her telling me, "you had better not take that picture!" I disobeyed, and the picture was taken. I wish I could say it was the only time I disobeyed, but that would be a lie. I did try, however, to honor and obey my Mom. You see, Mom is one of my heroes.

Divorced just about the time my youngest brother was born, it was Mom and us three boys (with lots of help from my grandparents). That is until my Dad came along. When Mom started dating my Dad, I got to see what true love is like. Not just the romantic love between two adults, but the love for us boys that poured out from both Mom and Dad even before they got married. Dad recently reminded me of the gentleman's agreement we made when he first started dating Mom that we would "adopt" each other. What sweet memories.

Mom was the closest thing to being omniscient to anyone on this planet. She used to do this whole routine where she very dramatically reminded us that, "Mom knows all, sees all, but doesn't necessarily tell all." And she did. I found out the hard way on more than one occasion that I really couldn't pull a fast one over on her (even when I thought I had).

I am so glad to say that I had a great relationship with Mom. We remained close even when I "sneaked out of the nest" as she used to say. When I graduated from high school, my family moved to Alabama. I stayed in Kentucky and went up to live with my grandparents. Mom somehow had the mistaken notion that I was coming to live with them in Alabama at some point, but I never had intentions of doing so. That was my sneaking out of the nest, and we laughed about it for years.

When I brought Peggy to Alabama as we were letting family know of our intentions to become husband and wife, Mom had finally gotten to the point where she accepted the fact that her "baby boy" was gonna marry some girl. I know that Peggy didn't think Mom liked her for several years as we dated, but she now knows what Mom was going through (since our "baby boy" has married a fine young lady, himself). It wasn't that Mom didn't like Peggy, she just wasn't ready to share me with some other female. Mom wasn't just my Mother, she was my confidant, and she knew (rightfully so) that her position would change with my marriage to Peggy. My Bride reminds me a lot of my Mom, and that is the highest compliment I could ever pay Peggy.

When Mom was diagnosed with cancer, we were all caught totally off guard. Mom was rarely ever sick, and had shown no signs of the cancer until it was in the final stages. We got word in early July, and by October 17, 1993, Mom was gone from this life. I had the privilege of videotaping some conversations with Mom where she talked about everything from her childhood to meeting and dating and marrying Dad, to stories about each of of kids, and stories about her grandbabies. While Elliott has some vague memories of her, Ian and Emily really only know her from the video, from pictures and from the stories they have been told. I want them all to know how much they were loved by their Grandma Blount.

I was with Mom when she breathed her last breath. She had slipped into a coma on that Sunday afternoon, and I sat by her hospital bed in the living room and held her hand, praying, singing, and dreading the moment. I dreaded it for my sake, because I was not ready to say goodbye. I am glad that I was there and had that time. I am so proud to be Bettie Blount's son. As I remember her birthday today, I want to praise my Lord and Savior Jesus for walking with me every day as I miss my Mom. I praise Jesus for the strength He gave me to get through that very tough time of having to say goodbye. I don't concentrate of that final weekend with her on this planet, but I have a flood of memories that make me smile as I write this note today.

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Hampton Inn Lobby on a Rainy Monday.

So, I haven't updated here in a long time, because I mostly update via Faceook these days. However, for the three of you who may read this blog rather than Facebook, here we go, buckle your seat belts!

About three weeks ago, we got word of a water pipe break in Dad's house in Anniston. The water was shut off, but not before it had formed a two-foot deep pool in the garage. I scrambled desperately to get things taken care of in Vero, so I could take some time off to come up here (I am currently in Anniston) to see what had to be done. In a nutshell - Dad's house suffered MAJOR mold damage. I have produced a series of videos mostly from my cell phone titled "Mold Monster" which are on Facebook. I MAY post them here sometime in the future, but don't hold me to it. The bedroom level of Dad's house will be gutted. Mold remediation has already begun, and reconstruction will follow. the process should take 5-6 weeks and could cost upwards of 50-60 thousand dollars! Yeah, you read that right.

Lil Bro was with us for the first few days (taking days off he could string together from his job), and we FOOLISHLY allowed Dad to talk us into staying at the house for the first two nights we were in town. Sleeping with the Mold Monster is about as stupid a thing as you would ever want to do. After a round of antibiotics, and many decongestant pills, I am about to get back to normal, but my sinuses haven't felt this bad in ages. Dad's homeowner's insurance is paying for us to stay at the Hampton Inn here in Oxford, AL, while we are in town. We leave here Wednesday to head back home to Vero Beach! Meanwhile, we are gearing things up for some outside work to be done on the house (trimming and removal of bushes, etc.), as well as the inside work. Good parts of all of this include the fact that the garage will be emptied out, and the stuff that has been cluttering it up for way too long will go away, AND I won't have to be the one making it go away. Fo' realz, the bottom line of this situation is that the house will be in much better shape than it has been in nearly two decades, and for that I must give God a huge shout out of praise!!!

We are hoping to see Aunt Phyllis either this afternoon or tomorrow afternoon and I am seriously looking forward to that visit. Words cannot express my love for Aunt Phyl, and she continues to be a source of great strength and comfort to me. We've been through a lot together over the course of my very short (ahem) lifetime, and I always enjoy the chance to just hang out with her.

Dad and I have made two trips to the Etowah County jail in attempts to visit with Donna, and so are we are 0-for-2 in that regard. We will make at least one more attempt, but because of privacy issues, we cannot even find out if a visit will be possible. yeah, it is a strange world , this realm of county jails, but it is the reality of life regarding Donna. 'Nuff said.

So, with the Mold Monster on the run, with work being done inside and outside the house to enhance it's value, this trip to 'Bama has been far more productive and encouraging than I thought it would be. I am such a skeptic still. I must repent of that and ask God to continue showing me His mighty ways!

Y0ur continued prayers for Dad, Donna, Ed, Aunt Phyl and me are greatly appreciated. Your continued prayers for my Beautiful, and Wonderful Bride, for Ian, Emily, Elliott and Abi are greatly appreciated as they continue to be so supportive from afar (FL). God is so good. May my life reflect His goodness and His love always.
Be God's,
Scott

Rock the Universe Weekend

I just finished up another Rock the Universe weekend at Universal Studios Orlando. It was a fantastic weekend on several levels. First, the students and Junior Sponsors we brought were wonderful. No problems, no missteps, and everyone got along (or at least they hid it from me if they didn't). Second, the concert lineup included some of my very favorite artists: David Crowder Band, Casting Crowns, Toby Mac, Jeremy Camp, and Third Day just to name a few.

Most importantly of all, I got to spend a lot of time with my Bride. My favorite moments of the weekend were those times when I walked hand-in-hand with Peggy without having to say a word. You see, words do not adequately describe the depth of love I have for my Bride, and getting to spend time alone with her in the midst of crowds, or just walking around the parks...well those are my favorite times!

Make no mistake about it, the DCB concert was a blast. We stood with Jimmy Adams and "got rowdy" with DCB on Friday night. It was an amazing time of giving God the glory. Saturday evening's Casting Crowns concert provided the inspiration for my Sunday morning devotional message to our students (see my devo blog at Speaking Blountly for those details. Getting to see a bit of Pure NRG, and Plumb in concert yesterday was fun, too. Riding some rides at Universal we had never tried before was a hoot. Props to the Jimmy Neutron and Disaster rides.

However, my favorite times of the weekend were those quiet, hand-in-hand times with my Bride. No contest!

I Love My Wife and My Life!

I got to spend Labor Day not only taking care of some yard work, and attending the church picnic, but I got to spend a big part of the day with my Bride. I sat with her at the picnic (a rarity to be sure), and after we came back home, we slipped into our bathing suits and lounged in the pool for a couple of hours. I am so blessed to be married to Peggy, and I truly do relish every moment I get to spend with her. I know that she often feels like she gets my "leftovers" and while that is sometimes the case, it is never my intention.

So, please let it be known to all the World (Wide Web): I Love My Wife and I Love My Life!

Thank you Peggy for putting up with me. You are God's second greatest gift to me (after my salvation in Christ).

Birthday Feast

Okay, so yesterday was my physical birthday. I have a habit of truly downplaying this day, because I really don't get all that excited about it. Last night, Peggy reminded me that it is a big day, because it is the day that God brought me into this world. Touche, my Bride. Point well taken.

Nevertheless, my "Birthday Celebration" was at Taco Bell (my choice), and my Birthday Feast is pictured above - a Volcano Nacho! The fact that Peggy, Ian, Emily, Dad, Turtle, and Chancho were with me, made the celebration! Being surrounded by the people I love is all the gift I needed, and I got exactly what I wanted!!

We spent the evening watching Tim Hawkins do his "I'm No Rock Star" comedy video because Chancho had not see it yet. Oh, Tim Hawkins makes me laugh.

I am the most blessed man on this planet. I have my salvation in Jesus Christ, I am married to the most beautiful woman alive, have fantastic children who love Jesus, and my Dad is with us. What more could I possibly desire? Nothing. Thanks to all who made my birthday a beautiful celebration!

Encounter!

So, yesterday, I celebrated my 24th birthday, having been baptized into Christ on August 27, 1985. I talked about that some in my devotional blog Speaking Blountly so I won't go into any further details on that milestone here. I will just say that I am the most blessed man on planet earth.

This afternoon, I head to Miami with Elliott, Abi and Andrew for what will be an amazing 24 hour Worship Conference. I will absolutely feel out of place with folks who are so gifted in this area, but if I am to grow as a worship leader, I need to "feel out of place" at times.

I am going with the intention of learning everything I can possibly take in, and to just enjoy the time of celebrating Jesus with like-minded folks and especially with Elliott, Abi and Andrew! Yeah, I'll try to be faithful enough to blog about the experience so the two of you who read this blog can live vicariously through me. lol

Thanks in advance for the prayers as we travel to and from Miami between now and late night Saturday. Especially remember my travel mates, who must head to the Gulf Coast after dropping me off (and picking Jayla up).

Happy 28th Anniversary, Baby!

Yes, I kissed my Bride at sunrise on the boardwalk in Vero Beach this morning. We went over to start the celebration of our 28th Wedding Anniversary, by watching the beauty God provides for us with a sunrise. Such a sense of peace, hope and majesty all rolled up in one. After basking in the glory of God's sunrise gift for us, we had a little breakfast at a place to remain anonymous for fear of multitudes of folks trying to track our movements. lol

We then came home and lounged for a bit before heading out for nearly five hours in the pool. Skies were a brilliant blue with fluffy white clouds, and the occasional high altitude jet leaving its con trail. We had others in the pool for a while, then they all left and it was just the two of us. I really like it that way.

As I type this, the most beautiful woman in the world is getting ready for our dinner date (again at a location not to be disclosed), and I am simply marveling at how blessed I am to be married to Peggy Ruth Dixon Blount. She is without a doubt the most beautiful woman (physically, spiritually, and emotionally) I have ever met. My love for her is far deeper than it was 28 years ago when I was forgetting the words to the Kenny Rogers song, "Lady" as she walked down the aisle at our wedding ceremony.

Happy Anniversary, Peggy. May my life say more adequately what mere words seem to fail to convey when I tell you that I love you!

Your Own Jesus

I just finished reading Mark Hall's forthcoming book, "Your Own Jesus." Yeah, Professor Jeff Sagstetter calls me a Hobb because I got an advance copy of the book to read and review online (which I have done in a couple of places...Facebook and Amazon). While I will never match the good Professor in Hobbness, it was a pleasure to read this book.

Mark Hall is not only a singer/songwriter and frontman for the contemporary Christian Group Casting Crowns, but he is still involved in student ministry at his local church. He writes "Your Own Jesus" from that perspective. Intertwined with lots of personal illustrations, solid biblical truth and thoughts from various songs from the CC project "The Altar And The Door," this book cuts to the heart of the matter: we need to passionately pursue Jesus every day of our lives. For years, I have tried to communicate to students the need to passionately pursue Jesus. Not just because it is something you ought to do, but because it is who you are: someone who is passionately in love with Jesus.

At our Senior Roast last month, I told the six high school graduates that statistically, 5 of them would turn their backs on Jesus and the church within the first couple of months of being away to school or out on their own. Honestly, I can think of three of them who are already on that path. It scares me for their sakes. It frustrates me that I cannot seem to communicate this TRUTH more effectively. I know, even God can't/won't force people to love Him, but it hurts nonetheless.

As I blogged about last week, my physical hurt from missing Peggy while she was gone to KY needs to translate into how I feel when I miss my time with God. More and more, it does. How to get others to that point is a whole other matter. I will do my best to model the lifestyle. I need to pray MORE for the people with whom I have contact who need to be passionate in their love for Jesus. I need to explore these issues with students in teaching sessions, with worship team folks in rehearsal and on Sunday mornings, and with everyone on a daily basis. I need to do a better job of helping others realize that they need their own Jesus, not the one I have, or their parents have, or their friends have, but everyone needs to have a personal, passionate relationship with Jesus.

I've spent time in the Word today loving on my Jesus, how about you?

Be God's,
Scott

Counting Them Down

Not that I am getting excited about the return of my Bride or anything! I've had this countdown widget going on my Mac Pro desktop for way too many days now, but the time is drawing near! My Bride is schedule to be on the ground in Orlando by 6:30 this evening.

On another, quite serious note, please remember my brother-in-law Alvin Parker in your prayers, as he is ready to undergo a heart catheterization procedure as I type this note this morning. The prayers of the righteous can easily handle this situation, and I ask that you pray not only for Alvin but for Peggy's sister, Terri, and their kids Brad and Amber so that all will have peace throughout the procedure and the recovery. I thank you in advance for your prayers!

One More Day!

Yes, as I type this I have jut over 26 hours until I am reunited with my Bride! I have missed her so badly, it physically hurts. I am glad that she had this time with her family in KY, but three weeks...well, that's way too long for me.

As I think about how much I love Peggy and how it hurts to be apart from her, I cannot help but stop and think about how much God hurts when the people He loves so deeply, choose to be apart from Him. I cannot help but wonder why many of us who claim to love God don't feel that physical pain of separation when we fail to spend time with Him on a regular basis. Hmmm...maybe we are just too quick to give God lip service instead of life service.

May the pain of separation from my Bride serve as a reminder of the pain God feels when I separate myself from Him, and may I never do so again! May the joy of the pending reunion I will have tomorrow evening in Orlando be just a glimpse of the joy awaiting me when I am united with my Lord and Savior on that first day on the other side of eternity.

I can't wait to wrap my arms around Peggy in the airport tomorrow. I can't wait to spend more time with my Lord in prayer and Bible study. I wish everyone were as anxious to spend time with God as I am to spend time with my Bride.

Sad Face

I picture messaged this sad face to my Bride yesterday along with a countdown to the time her plane is schedule to land in Orlando. As I type this there are seven days, seven hours and 43 minutes until that happens. I miss my Bride terribly, but I am so glad that she has been able to spend some time in KY with her family. I praise God that the original reason she rushed back up there was only a false alarm, and Mom is doing just fine!

I have enjoyed some extra time with my "chilluns" and the shopping time spent with Chicky last Saturday, but I do miss my bfffff, and long for her return.

Yeah, that's all I have to say today. I love Peggy with all my heart, and when we are physically apart for long periods of time like this, it physically hurts. I praise God for my Bride every day, as I am the most blessed man on the planet.

Peggy, BEEG KEESES await you in the Orlando International Airport, and a trip to Joe's Crab Shack will start off our date next Tuesday evening! I love you!!!

July 4th without my Bride

We had the Jones family in for our July 4th Feast of Baby Back Ribs and fixins. Actually, Tami Jones provided some delicious potato salad, banana pudding, and cupcakes, while we provided Ian's famous slow grilled ribs and grillin' beans. It was quite the feast and quite the celebration except for one very important person who was missing from our gala: my Bride!

Peggy is in Kentucky, having been called up there due to a medical emergency that is not really a medical emergency. See, we got this call from Peggy's sister Terri on Monday, June 28th, saying that Peggy's Mom had a blood clot in her heart, and the doc said for Peggy to get up there as soon as possible. We got her out on one of the first flights possible (yay, AirTran, which now has service from Orlando to Charleston, WV), and after arriving in Kentucky, seeing her Mom, and a couple of tests on Mom's heart later...no problem, it was a shadow from her hiatal hernia! Of course, Peggy's return flight to Florida isn't until July 21st. Sad face.

So, we celebrated Peggy's and my 32nd anniversary of her agreeing to be my steady girlfriend with her in Kentucky and me in Florida. Not my favorite way to spend that special day in my history with my Bride!

However, having Steve, Tami, and Katie Liz Jones along with Chris Stephenson (Katie's fiancee) over for dinner was a blast! We enjoyed our meal and then spent some time watching some Tim Hawkins songs and comedy bits on You Tube. No I haven't linked it here, go find it yo9urself! It is well worth the effort!!!

Then, Emily, Ian, Turtle, Melvin, Ashley and I joined the Cina and the Bellis families over at Riverside Park for some fireworks. The grand finale looked like this through the lens of my enV2 phone's video recorder:




Now that I have updated my blog at least once this month, I can go back to the tons of video and audio work I am doing for the church. I love my life, but I miss my wife and am counting down the days until I hold her in my arms again!!!

Your Own Jesus

I have read an advanced copy of the first chapter of Mark Hall's (front man for Casting Crowns) forthcoming book "Your Own Jesus." The book comes out on August 1st, and I am anxiously awaiting its release. In the introduction, Hall declares..."many of us believers, even longtime members
of the body of Christ, have genuine faith but parasitic practices." That is a beautiful way of putting it. Too often, those who claim that they want to follow Christ, simply want to let someone else do all the "heavy lifting" while they go along for the ride. then, when those spiritual freeloaders find themselves on their own, they fall against the weight of the world. The world wants to belittle faith in Christ. The world wants to crush the spirits of those who try to follow Christ. Without a genuine faith of your own (not your parents' faith, not your minister's or youth minister's or youth sponsor's faith, not your friends' faith, but YOUR faith), you are doomed.

Hall goes on to write: "This book was generated as I asked myself — as I
now ask you — some difficult questions. Is your walk
with Jesus Christ characterized by personal faith, personal
prayer, personal study, and personal disciplines?
Or do you get by with the overflow from more mature
Christians?
Do you have your own Jesus?
Perhaps reading these words makes you uncomfortable.
The notion sounds almost heretical."

Yeah, I am hooked already. I have two other books I am currently reading ("Crazy Love," and "The Hole In Our Gospel"). Gonna hafta get them read so I can be ready for the release of Mark Hall's "Your Own Jesus."

Gonna hafta continue encouraging the students in our ministry to get their own faith and run with it. The time to be parasitic in your faith is long gone!

Be God's,
Scott

This and That

I am so glad that I live under the New Covenant with God. In my daily devotional readings through the Chronological One Year Bible these past few weeks, I have been going through the tumultuous history of Israel and Judah under kings who failed to follow God with all their hearts. As I started reading in the book of Amos it struck me that God says your sins will not be ignored. When I think of the sins in my life, I am so glad that God doesn't ignore them. Because of Jesus, my sins are forgiven and forgotten by the Creator of the universe!

Father's Day, 2009 fell on June 21st. That makes Ian and Emily 11 years old spiritually on Father's Day! I had the privilege of baptizing them into Christ on June 21, 1998, and to this day that is by far the BEST Father's Day I have ever had. However, this year comes in at a close 2nd. Elliott preached at First Christian Church Clearwater, it was his first sermon ever! I had the honor of being there to hear him preach! Along with my Bride, Ian, Emily and my Dad! Afterwords, Elliott, Abi, Ian, Emily Dad, Peggy and I went to Moes Southwest Grill for a Father's Day Feast! Yes, it WAS a great day.

I've been having an interesting Twitter conversation with Robin Sigars lately on doctrine, obedience and love. We are both of the opinion that the former receives too much emphasis to the detriment of the latter two. I maintain that if we obey God's Word and love people the way God intends, our doctrine will be right. After all, how can we obey God's Word if we are not obey it fully (see my comments on Israel and Judah at the beginning of this blog)? Those who do not fully obey the Gospel may love, but they are not obedient. Those who obey the Gospel but don't love, well, resounding gongs come to mind. Lord, I pray that You will help me lovingly obey Your Gospel so that my life will draw others to Jesus.

Did I mention that I was like a kid on Christmas morning yesterday? Well, the new microphones are in, and I cannot wait for this Sunday's Celebration Services! Big Dogg Audio RAWKS!!!

With the afternoon Thunderstorms rolling in, I should end this for now, with the desire to do this more often and to even try to be deep enough on occasion that someone might actually get something out of my rambling posts on this blog site.

Be God's,
Scott

Terminal Case of Motorcycle Fever

Okay, it is no secret that I have had motorcycle fever ever since re-acquiring my motorcycle license about a year ago, and while riding the Scooter named Greta. Alas, poor Greta is having fuel distribution problems once again (and with all the home remodeling we have had to do lately...re: replacing shower walls, etc.I cannot get her looked at right now), and wiht my van doing CIY duty this week, I needed a vehicle. John Martinelli (otherwise known as satan's minion) offered the perfect solution: his MonsterCycle! Picture here in my driveway, I am indeed wrestling 900 pounds of two-wheeled machine around the roads of Vero these days. John says I can keep it for a couple of months, because he needs the room in his garage at home right now. Yeah, my case of motorcycle fever has gone terminal. I believe we will need to take up a special offering to treat this serious medical malady afflicting me, don't you?

Wicked Winds of the West

Afternoon thunderstorms are the norm for this time of year here in Paradise On Earth. Yesterday evening, a particularly ominous looking bunch of clouds with a stiff westerly wind (but very little rain) blew in...most appropriate for my mood. Suffice it to say that we have enough plumbing-related issues going on at the house these days to put us under. And I'm not talking about water.

But, my Bride reminds me that it is only "stuff." God provides a way around the "stuff" and besides, how could I dare to complain when I have friends to the north (in the Daytona area) who have suffered fo' realz flooding over the past couple of weeks? Still, I need to just spend MORE quiet time in reading and reflecting upon God's Word. I need to hold my Bride in my arms, and remember that with Jesus and Peggy here, everything will be just fine.

Slow Down!

The month of April was a whirlwind, and it is not my desire to reap the whirlwind, by any means! To say that the old acronym of Being Under Satan's Yoke (BUSY) would describe April is a gross understatement.

I did a whirlwind trip to and from Alabama and brought Dad home. That trip happened faster and sooner than I had originally anticipated, but the bottom line is that Dad is now here with us. We have discussed many things including putting the house in Anniston up on the market, and the pending financial tsunami that must be taken care of. Now, Dad would just as soon not think about any of that, and I am walking the fine line between being "pushy and controlling" and being realistic and practical. Actually our "big talk" about all of that went far better than I had thought it would go, and I am so grateful for the continued prayers of folks who know what is going on.

Peggy's Mom is healing well, and is already back in Kentucky following her broken leg, surgery, and rehab in Florida. We are praising God for how He has worked in that situation, and for Mom's attitude, which has been superior!

Ian now has a full time job at the Sprint Store here in Vero! Praise God for answered prayer, and for angels in the flesh like Jim Adams. We have seen such a difference in Ian's demeanor and we are giving God the glory for the mighty work He continues to do in Ian's life!

Emily is home for the summer, having completed her first year at FCC, and I am so glad to have my Chick-A-Boo back home. We are in prayer for a summer job for her, and she may have a good line on a possibility with a day camp operation through the Salvation Army. It would be PERFECT for a gal majoring in Elementary Ed!

Peggy has battle several different "bugs" over the past month, an indication that she is working too hard, not resting enough, etc. I worry about my Bride, because of stress levels that normally go up at the end of the school year, and now with the added stress of having Dad here, and being married to a goober like me. She assures me that all is well, but I just want her to feel well for more than seven days in a row.

Ministry is going at a break-neck pace, as usual. Senior Roast is coming in a month, and I am so not ready for all the media work I need to do for that. Praise Team stuff is going well, and we are hitting our groove at a higher level these days. That is a blessing beyond words. I also know that discussions about what will be removed from my overburdened plate ministry-wise have to come soon, and I dread that. Please pray for those conversations and decisions and may God be gloried in all we do!

Now, it's time to head to the store, go to a wedding at the church, put the final touches on youth groups tomorrow night, get a few things gathered up for a teacher/sponsor appreciation luncheon meeting we have tomorrow, hang out with Dad, take care of my Bride, and whew...maybe I should take a nap first!

Still Playing "Catch-Up"

Today has been filled with those "catch-up" activities that we all love so dearly: finally got my tax information gathered up and sent off to our CPA who resides in Arizona...just six weeks behind schedule on that one; talked with a couple of great brothers in Christ via phone and Facebook, and got caught up with those guys. Just years behind in that category; working on sermon CD duplication, video rendering for a teaching series we are starting to put together at Vero Christian Church, trying to get more done in the worship ministry area like worship services planned, etc.; gearing up for this weekend's trip to the Believe Conference in Kissimmee; trying to prepare for the Resurrection Sunday services coming in a couple of weeks; and anticipating a trip to Alabama to pick up Dad and bring him down this way for a while, we miss him so much!

Yeah, life keeps getting in the way of doing any meaningful blogging. That is a lol statement, folks. Your continued prayers on our behalf are greatly appreciated and sorely needed!