Week In Wichita Falls

I stayed in Wichita Falls at my sisters house and had a wonderful time. I got to go to church on Wednesday night and enjoyed seeing everyone! I know you're suppose to go to the prayer room before church, but I just couldn't. :) I felt the pull to go in the sanctuary and visit with those who were already there. If I didn't I wouldn't have a chance after church to see some of the people, so I think God and Pastor Holley will forgive me for missing the prayer room.

Thursday night was the "Ladies Christmas Progressive Dinner" and we rode the trolley's to each home and saw some Christmas lights. I had a wonderful time being with the ladies I've loved all these years. We had appetizers at the Bowen's, steaks and all the trimmings at the Fraziers, then desserts at the Holley's, and a lot of laughter mixed in the middle of it all made for a great evening.

For Those Who Still Read My Blog

Busy, busy, busy! Once again I've been too busy to turn on my computer and blog! If anyone is still reading my blog, the following is what I've been "busy" doing.
This past weekend we went to Houston so we could attend Jared Gurley's wedding. Ronda, Nathan and Nathaniel flew in from California, so Wendell and I went to visit with them. Gene and Karla also drove down from Wichita Falls, and Jonathan and Brenda came, so I'm sure it's needless to say, but we had a really nice time! Sometimes you need to be with family and this was one of those times. Something weird happened with my camera, but I still wanted to add this picture. This is what we did a lot of the time we were together. We always have so much fun!We got home Saturday. Took care of a few things then packed and headed to Wichita Falls to do some packing in our house. We haven't sold it yet, but we felt like we needed to go and pack! We arrived in Wichita Falls in time for the evening service at Life Tabernacle and surprised everyone! It was so nice getting to be in church at "home". Gene invited Wendell to say a few words and asked us to sing, so we did. It felt natural being there. :) We definitely felt loved! I didn't take a lot of pictures. I was either too busy talking and having fun, or working to much to think of it.

Monday rolled around and Rita and Tammy came over to help me with the house. Rita is amazing when it comes to packing the kitchen! It's amazing how many things she can get packed into a box! LOL! Tammy and I listened for instructions from her and did what she told us to do. :) Thank you, Rita and Tammy for your help! I could have done it, but it would have taken all week to get it done!

On Tuesday, Rita came back over and finished the kitchen while I went through the house getting rid of stuff we didn't need or want. We got so much done!!!!
Wendell worked HARD in the garage and anywhere else he found to work! That is just ONE of the many things I admire about my husband. He is a hard worker! I got a picture of him sitting in his "easy chair" that he misses so much. I love you, Wendell! Kenny came over and helped Wendell with moving some heavy boxes. Thank you, Kenny! I really miss my Music Room at home. Maybe someday I'll have another one. That will be nice! We drove home today. It was kind of quiet. We were tired, thoughtful, and ready to be back home in the "swing of life". We are praying ernestly that the house will sell SOON! It's a beautiful home, and it's very comfortable, and liveable, so someone ought to buy it. Maybe it won't be too much longer. I'm sure God knows exactly what is going on and I trust Him in all things. The "perfect timing" on His calendar usually isn't the "perfect timing" on our calendars. The "will of God" is wonderful to live in, so we are waiting on Him. I'm glad we know that He is in control of our lives. There is no way to explain the peace and contentment we feel, even though our circumstances are not perfect...from the "human way of thinking". If we could see what God see's we might understand "why" He does things the way He does. I just think it's best to "trust Him" completely with our lives. It feels "safer" resting in His hands!

Eight years ago on August 5th, Mother went home to be with the Lord. I miss her greatly! I would love to sit down and talk to her and tell her everything that has been happening in our family. I look forward to the day when we will all meet again..."in front of the throne". We will be able to talk for eternity!

I FINALLY GOT TO GO!

YAY!!! I finally got to "go to the men's conference"! LOL! Last night before my husband left for church he told me to come over to the Tabernacle about 8:00, so I did, but Bro. Keyes was still preaching. So, I went to the very back of the Tabernacle...behind the "curtain petitions" they had up and listened to Bro. Keyes for about 5 minutes. I then felt a little "weird" being at a "men's meeting", so I made my way to the Media Missions Booth. I heard a tiny bit of the message and it sounded really good. I'm sure it was! Church was dismissed so I went to the Hospitality Room to meet my husband and Bro. Keyes. This is what met me when I walked through the door!Sis. White, pastor's wife from Silsbee, TX. decorated for the Men's Conference and she and her helpers did a great job! Of course, the men loved it! Here are a few more "shots" of the "HUNTER'S ROOM".:)I found MY "hunter"!And one of our "cubs"...the one with TWO LEGS! LOL!I found these three men "wandering in the wilderness". It was good seeing Kenny, Kris, and Kory Prince. They are part of our "Life Tabernacle Family" out on a mission to start a church in Bullard, TX.I finally got to see my "brother". Randy Keyes is a childhood friend and was best friends with my brother. It's always great to see him and Sharon. I wish she could have come with him, but I know she needed to stay home. We took him to eat after the service and Jonathan met us and we had a great time visiting. I will always treasure this picture of him and Jonathan as they talked about "church growth". And...I like this one.Randy was giving Wendell scriptures to read for him for the Saturday morning service.

After conference ended today we were invited to eat lunch with the men from Life Tabernacle, and we had a wonderful time of visiting with them. We love you all! Kevin and Kenny Prince, and Kory joined us also. They are all part of the "family'.



Thank you Pastor Holley for staying long enough for us to have a little "taste of home". It was good being with you all!

Whew! I'm so glad I didn't let anything stop me from making more memories at Texas Men's Conference. If I hadn't "moseyed over" to see what was going on, I wouldn't have anything to say about this great event. From all I've heard it was a SMASHING SUCCESS and the men left filled with the Word of God and went home with PURPOSE to do His will.

Easter Sunday @ The Apostolic Church

Where do I begin? I will say from the very beginning that Easter 2009 was a very special day for us! It had been 9 years since we had last celebrated Easter with Jonathan and Brenda and the girls, and we looked forward to this year with them. Because of the call of God on their lives they had moved away from us, and moved on in ministry and was the Pastor of the church in Ranger, TX for 7 years, then moved to Beaumont 2 years ago and now Pastor The Apostolic Church there. WE were pastoring Life Tabernacle so there was no way to go and spend Easter Sunday with "the kids". Thankfully, Andrew and Mandy were with us at Life Tabernacle for 5 years, so we got to be with them on Easter and see all the beautiful dresses Mandy made for the girls. So, this year, since we are now full-time with the district and do not have our own church we were privileged to spend Easter in Beaumont. Of course, we missed Andrew, Mandy, Alayna and Ashlyn, but one of these days we'll all get to be together forever. I still haven't had the opportunity to see pictures of Alayna and Ashlyn on Easter, but I will soon. I do know they were gorgeous, even without seeing them!!!

I want to say thank you to all the saints at The Apostolic Church for making our first Easter without our own people very special! You blessed us beyond measure in your worship and praise, and every handshake given. You blessed us abundantly in your "giving" unselfishly to us, and you blessed us by "just being our friends". Thank you for "loving us" and letting us "be at home" with you. We love you and we LOVE your PASTOR and FAMILY!!!! :)

I want to give a little update on three churches that are dear to our hearts: On Easter Sunday...

Greater Apostolic Tabernacle - Pastor and Mrs. Andrew Elms - had 94 in attendance! 23 visitors! They are growing and the spirit of the church is excellent!!! We are so thankful for what God is doing!

The Apostolic Church - Pastor and Mrs. Jonathan Elms - had 442 in attendance, plus their Spanish Church had 140. Making a total of 582! To God be the Glory!!!

Life Tabernacle - Pastor and Mrs. Gene Holley - had over 400!!!!!! We are SO EXCITED about the church in Wichita Falls growing and having GREAT REVIVAL!!!

Life Tabernacle Bible Quiz Team

As I stated in my last post, we were privileged to go to the Junior Bible Quizzing Tournament. I was "blown away" by the knowledge and skill of these quizzers! Our kids from Wichita Falls were quizzing for the first time and it was so good seeing them involved with learning the scriptures and then doing so well that they came in 5th place out of 29 teams! Bro. Elms and I were SO PROUD of them!!!! Here are a few pictures of them during the tournament.

Haiden, Howie, and Imran (Head Coach: Chris Isom and Coach: Janet Anglin)

Haiden (back) looks on as his quiz buddy, Austin quizzes against Life Tabernacle Team: Brianna, Howie, and Imran. Austin now plays on the Nacogdoches-Center Team.
Coaches discuss while waiting for a "correct or incorrect" verdict from the Quiz Master.
Totally STRESSED...or are they praying it's RIGHT?
Imran is ready to push the button! Everyone has their "thinking caps" on.
Nacodoches-Center is "sweating it out"!
Parents are "praying"!
Total relief! Parents: Christina, Tammy and Dan; Friends: Kenny and Rita Jessica and Imran's mom, Judy are anxiously waiting as they watch the quiz! CONGRATULATIONS TO LIFE TABERNACLE QUIZ TEAM!
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL BIBLE QUIZZERS!

YOU ARE ALL GREAT AND ARE DOING WONDERFUL!

EVERYONE IS A WINNER!!!!

From My Perspective

I am sitting in our motorhome after a very busy week, and I am so thankful for ALL His blessings on us! It is cold outside and warm and cozy inside. There is easy listening music playing from the XM radio, the coffee maker is perking, and a sound of happiness in my husband's voice as he visits with a friend over the telephone. I am blessed!

Since I wrote my last "major" post, we have been to Balch Springs, Wichita Falls, Balch Springs, Lufkin, Beaumont and back to Lufkin, all in just EIGHT DAYS. We will be leaving tomorrow sometime for Palestine, TX to minister at Bro. and Sis. Shiftlett's church. We are looking forward to spending time with them and being in church with them over the weekend.

I now have the time to write about Gene and Karla's Installation Weekend. Gene and Ronda wrote and posted pictures about it, and Nathiel has written about it, but I haven't had a chance to give my perspective on it, so I'm going to back track in my days and write!

We were so happy to be a part of the Installation at "HOME". A lot of times when a pastor resigns he doesn't have the opportunity to go back for a long time, and sometimes not at all, so we felt very privileged to be asked to be there for Gene and Karla's service. Our situation is very unique since they are our family, plus they were in Life Tabernacle assisting us for 18 years. Gene was raised there and was a teenager when we were voted in as the Pastor. Years went by and Gene and Karla fell in love, married and became a very important part of the church and our lives. It was deeper than "brother and sister". There was a spiritual connection as we "labored together" for the Kingdom of God. I cannot say enough about their loyalty and love. The church flourished and grew through the 24 years we were there and we are so thankful for what God has done! I could go on about all that happened during those years, but I could never express my heart. It will take all eternity for me to express the love and thankfulness I have for the years we were privileged to serve God and the saints of Life Tabernacle. You can't find better people anywhere. They loved us and became part of our family through the years, and we love them so much!

When I walked into the church on Friday night my heart was full, and memories flooded my mind. I felt the same love from those we had loved for so long, and enjoyed every smile, hand shake, and hug! When worship started it was the same power and flow of the spirit we had experienced through the years. The music was incredible, the choir magnificent, and the praise and worship out of this world. You can call it "HEAVEN" if you'd like, I do! :)

After a power-packed service and a beautiful message by Bro. David Bernard there was time for fellowship with all who were in attendance. The reception following the service was beautiful and classy. It's what I expected of Life Tabernacle to have, but this time they had the food catered and it was all delicious. The live band was impressive and enjoyed by everyone.

Sunday morning message preached by Nathan Hurst is one I will NEVER forget! It showed me once again how God has "ordered our steps". I've known we are in "the will of God" in our move to the District Office, but it was shown to me in a deeper, greater way than ever before. When God decides He wants to change your life, you might as well be happy about it and follow. Sometimes we do not understand what is going on at the time of "breaking", but He will perform His will, and if you'll let Him He will make all things beautiful again. I'm glad I'm His child!

Sunday night my husband preached about "God's Promise to Life Tabernacle". Do I HAVE to say it was great? :) Just to put it on the record.....it was FANTASTIC! A man of God spoke some very important and deep things to Wendell during the time of transition for us and the church. The words he spoke were a comfort to us and promises that we would see our "dream" accomplished.

It was so much fun getting to be with our family! It was like a "family reunion" for the Layne family. Yes, there were some tears shed from the loss of those we love, but there was much more laughter than tears. That's the way Daddy, Mother, and Keith would have wanted it, so we definitely didn't let them down. LOL!

This is just a small portion of what took place here on earth. I wonder what Heaven was like as the grandson of Bro. and Sis. W.R. Holley, and the daughter of Murray and Lila Layne were established as the Pastor of Life Tabernacle? I know there were a lot of smiles, and I think I heard cheering coming from the balcony of Heaven!

Note: If you want to see pictures please visit here and here. They have some good ones to view!

Our Busy Weekend

The day has once again come and gone, and I'm just now getting a chance to post! The "Texas Minister's Wives Retreat" is almost here, and since I am speaking I have been working on what I'm going to say. Please pray for me! I hope to see a lot of our Minister's Wives present. I know we're going to have a wonderful time just being together.

As I mentioned last night, we have been on the road once again. We left last Thursday for the wedding in Wichita Falls. We had to stop in the metroplex for some business, and on Friday went on to Wichita Falls. It was so nice driving into the city of our labor for 24 years! Wichita Falls is a wonderful place to live. I love the city, the mesquite trees, and the wide open plains. There is nothing quite like a sunset from on top of the hill, near McNeil! For those of you who do not know, that is the place where Life Tabernacle is located. There were many evenings we would step out of the office and look at the horizon where the sun was setting, and the colors were breathtaking and beautiful. I also loved standing in the prayer room and looking out of the window as I prayed, because it seemed" I could see all the way to Oklahoma"! :) Yes, I still love being "home" and we had a wonderful time. I don't know whether it helped to go see everyone or not! LOL! I have felt a little lonely ever since we left this time. (I guess there's nothing like "pure honesty"! Oh well...that's the way it's been.

The wedding was gorgeous and Zach and Amber were so happy! We are very happy for them and I'm sure they are having a great time on their honeymoon! We wish them the best!  For some pictures of the bride go here.  For a few pictures of the wedding go here.  

Andrew, Mandy, Alayna and Ashlyn are doing good. The girls are growing up and Ashlyn is talking more and more. What a little doll. She loves to clown around and she gets plenty of laughs and hugs. Alayna is enjoying her first year of school and was spelling to us and singing more "new songs" she has learned. Oh yes I miss them more than I can say!

The "new pastor's family", the Holley's are doing great and the church is moving on in revival! The excitement is electrifying and the power of God is moving in a mighty way. As we worshipped with them on Sunday my heart was overwhelmed with the awesomeness of the music and singing. Everything flowed together in unity and I felt I was being lifted into the realm of the Holy of Holies! Oh, how my heart swelled with thankfulness for the things God is doing. Life Tabernacle, you are on your way to the "promises of God" being fulfilled!!!! I can't wait to see what all takes place, and when it does, rest assured Bro. Elms and I will be standing off to the side cheering you on to greater VICTORY! We are so thankful for your "new pastor" being who he is! :) Of course, he's our brother-in-law, but more than that he is the "man of God" for Life Tabernacle and the city of Wichita Falls. You know of what I speak!

We left on Sunday afternoon and drove once again to church in Balch Springs. We were a little late, but when we walked through the doors the presence of God was moving through the congregation as they worshipped. It didn't take but just a moment to feel His presence. When they turned the pulpit to Bro. Elms he continued leading in worship, then he preached! Oh my word! Did he PREACH! Many people said they had never heard it quite like that, and I can say he was anointed mightily!

I feel peace in my heart tonight. The reason I can say this is because I know God is in control of our lives and He has done great things for us. No, I never dreamed I would be living in Lufkin, or did I ever think my husband would have been taken away from pastoring our awesome church and moved to being the Texas District Secretary. But, I've always known God had our lives in His hands, and when he bids we must follow. Has it always been easy? No! Has it been sad at times? YES! But, with God leading how can anyone say, "I'm not going to follow."? My life, our life, is definitely changed, but I can say down deep in my heart we are happy to be in His will. That's all that matters!

Note: I'm sorry there are no pictures for this post, but I will try to get them done in the near future.

God's Ways

HAPPY! EXCITED! THANKFUL!

I cannot go into the "reasons" why I am experiencing these emotions, but at the appropriate time I will! Just let me say, "God has done a GREAT thing!"

I'm thankful! I'm happy! I'm excited!

God definitely has EVERYTHING in HIS hands, and He moves in mysterious ways. When He does one thing "here", he does another thing "there" and He places our lives where He wants them!

I'm EXCITED! I'm HAPPY! I'm THANKFUL!

Maybe you get the picture by now? :) Have a great day!