Section 4 Christmas Banquet

All week I have remembered something Mandy, my sweet daughter-in-law said when we were leaving our church and the city in which we had labored for 24 years. I was emotional a lot of the time, yet knowing we were in the will of God I had peace. One day during one of my emotional times Mandy said, "Mom, when you get moved and settled in Lufkin you are going to be so happy! You're going to enjoy doing what you've always wanted to do, and that is visiting your friends churches, and meeting more preacher's and their wives. You are going to have a blast traveling around the district." I will say that I have been experiencing that "JOY" Mandy told me I would have. Thank you Mandy for saying those words, and understanding me when I wasn't able to understand myself.

Last night was the Section 4 Banquet. It was held at the Crown Colony Country Club here in Lufkin, and the food was delicious, the banquet facilities lovely, and the fellowship superb!

Bro. Mark Green is the Presbyter for Section 4 and has welcomed us into the section with open arms.

Bro. and Sis. Green have been wonderful to us and we love them so much!

Bro. and Sis. Lynn Story were the "entertaninment for the evening" and we had a lot of good laughs. They got a lot of people involved in their "show" and it kept things really interesting.They had different ones come up and they had to put a drawing tablet on top of their head, draw a floor, Christmas tree, a star on top of the tree, a fireplace, etc. It was quite funny to watch!Here are a few pictures of some of the ones that participated.

Bro. Schreckhise
Bro. Neely
Victoria Green There was another skit that I will call "ME TARZAN!" It was hilarious! Here are two Tarzan's!Sis. Story(Jane)looking for Tarzan!I loved watching Bro. and Sis. Russo have a good laugh!Bro. and Sis. Shiflet. It was great seeing them again.Bro. and Sis. Jonathan Green. I had a good time talking to them and the Bennett's.There was a large crowd and there is no way to take enough pictures or enough space to share them. So, let me just say, I LOVE CHRISTMAS and all it stands for. Along with the birth of our Savior we have this time to spend with family and friends. We can let other's know how much we love and appreciate them. It's wonderful being together! If you haven't had your banquet yet, be sure and go this year. You will enjoy being with those of "like precious faith", and will go home refreshed. I will leave you with one more picture.

Santa and Me!MERRY CHRISTMAS!

'Tis the Season for Banquets

Monday night started us out with the first Christmas Banquet we will attend this month. We were scheduled to be at the Section 2 Banquet in Beaumont, and we were happy to be able to see our other set of granddaughters, and their parents. :) We had a wonderful time with them Monday afternoon and evening.

The girls love their Papa.I love this picture of Savanna. She's always loved posing for pictures. Monday night we went to the banquet and had a nice time. Bro. Darrell McCoy is the Presbyter. They treated us very kind.We are finding out more and more that there are a lot of preacher's and their wives we do not know!! We are enjoying getting to see the district by traveling to each section. I wish we could go to every sectional banquet, so we could see everyone. Murrell and Joan Ewing were the guest speakers and like always, they were wonderful! There was a beautiful peace that filled the room when Bro. Ewing started speaking. He also sang a couple songs. I hadn't heard him in so long and it was very special getting to just be in their company for a short time. Sis. Ewing was awesome, just like always. She amazes me! I find myself mesmerized by her quiet, forceful ministry. After eating lunch with Jonathan, Brenda and Scarlet, (Savanna was in school) we left for Waco to be at the banquet for Section 8. Bro. Knight is the Presbyter of this section and he and Sis. Knight were so sweet to us. They made us feel "at home" in their section. We enjoyed visiting with the preacher's and their wives and saw several we had known for quite awhile. We were surprised to see "long time" friends, Bro. and Sis. Carrington. They have moved to where their daughter lives here in Texas and it was fun seeing them. We have a lot of memories made with them when we were evangelizing, a long time ago! Nate Lawrence was there for the entertainment and we had a lot of laughs! He asked Bro. and Sis. McMahon to help him with a skit, and they did a great job. After they were finished with the skit it dawned on me that Bro. and Sis. McMahon are friends with Andrew and Mandy. I had never met them so as soon as I could I took the opportunity to talk with her. We had a nice visit. There is so much to tell, but not enough time or room to post about it all.

We will be going to Section 4 Banquet tomorrow night. It's here in Lufkin. Friday night we will attend TBC's Christmas banquet. I am looking forward to every one of the banquets! We're going to have a great time!

We will be traveling more next week. I will try to keep up-to-date on my blog as we are having "fun". I hate getting behind. It has been difficult for me to keep up with it the last couple of weeks because I was sick, also, I've been preparing for the MAP seminars that are happening in the first few days of the new year. I haven't been able to read everyone's posts, and I miss that. I did happen to see that I have won TWO MORE FARLEY AWARDS this year!!!! One that I received was "Most Surprising News Award". I will have to agree with Farley on this. My husband being elected to the secretary job for the Texas District was very surprising to all of us! The other Farley Award I received was, "I Take a Lot of Pictures of My Car and Post Them On My Blog Award". LOL! I love getting in my convertible in warm weather, putting the top down and cruising through the country. I'm looking forward to some more "cruising" in the future, and I'm sure I will post more pictures when I do!

Thank you, FARLEY for choosing me again. I really am a "FARLEY FAN"!

Catching Up

As you all know, we were sick for several days during Thanksgiving holidays, but I am happy to report that we are doing so much better! Andrew, Mandy and the girls stopped by to see us on their way home from spending time with the folks in Deweyville. We were very happy to get to spend a couple of hours with them. We just can't get enough "lovin' from our baby girls", and couldn't seem to quit talking to Andrew and Mandy. I took a few pictures after we ate. Alayna was enjoying an ice cream cone. She is growing like a weed! She had been travelling, then playing outside on the restaurant's patio, and I caught her with her hair messed up. I love it!Ashlyn is a little doll, too and getting sweeter and cuter all the time. We enjoyed our short time with them. I love being friends with our own kids. It's fun!

Sunday evening we drove out to Broaddus to attend service. It was our first time to be there, and thoroughly enjoyed it! Mark and Diane Green have done a great work, and God is doing great things for them and their church. Bro. Green asked my husband to come to the platform, and when Wendell got up there Bro. Green turned to him and said, "I hope you're ready to preach, because you're preaching." :) Preach, he did! After church the Green's were so kind and took us to eat...all the way back to Lufkin! Bro. Green was telling stories and I almost couldn't catch my breath from laughing!!! You NEED to hear about the "Red-neck funeral". That's all I'm going to say. You'll just have to hear it from him!!! LOL!

Thanksgiving Day '08

There are a lot of GREAT people in this world, and today we spent time with some of them. It was our year for the kids to be gone to the "other side of the family", so we were by ourselves. Don't feel sorry for us. We were fine. We had been invited to Gene and Karla's, and Brenda invited us to go to her sister's house in Mississippi, but we decided to stay home. I've been sick, and Wendell started "coming down" with it yesterday, so we thought it best to stay close by. We are also preparing for some classes we are teaching, and they are coming up rather quickly. AND we've been on the road a lot since we've been living in Lufkin. It really felt good spending some time here today.

We had decided to find some place to eat, then received an invitation to join the Smith's in their home. I'm sure glad we accepted the invitation! I laughed earlier in the day at the fact that we have moved to LUFKIN, we're living in a MOTOR HOME, Wendell's Texas District SECRETARY, and we were having Thanksgiving Meal with the SMITH'S! Who would have thought this would all happen? LOL!.

When we got to the Smith's house we were greeted warmly by the family and was made to feel "right at home". We have been acquainted with them through the years, but we are now getting to know them as "friends" and it's nice. The meal was delicious and there was so much food! Just like I'm use to on Thanksgiving Day. :) I'm not going to try and say who cooked what, so on and so forth, because I know I would mix them all up. All I know is that it was DELICIOUS! Kent, Traci, and their "kids" were there. It was good getting to visit with them. Trent and his lovely bride....Redonia with her brother, Trent... Myron and his family also came. I got home and noticed I didn't get a picture of his wife and precious baby boy! What a doll he is, and I didn't get one picture of him and his Mommy! That's terrible! Please forgive me! And...Dedie and her children helped us crash the Smith's Family Thanksgiving! Her husband was gone hunting. It's always fun seeing Dedie! By the way, Dedie, your children were angels! I was impressed with them. Bro. and Sis. Smith and Family, THANK YOU for your hospitality today. We enjoyed being with you. Ya'll are WONDERFUL!

Here's one last picture....Meet "The Bishop" ! He belongs to Kent and Tracie. He's SO CUTE! I had the privilege of holding him today and fell in love with him, just like I thought I would! Maybe I will get another dog.......someday.

My Thanks

While we were pastoring at Life Tabernacle I taught a class called PrimeLife. It was one of the things I loved! Many years ago I started a tradition of "giving thanks" on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Over the years I had to use several Sundays to give everyone the opportunity to talk about what they were thankful for. It was always a very touching time for all of us. I wondered if they had continued the tradition this year and when I read Julie's blog it warmed my heart to know the tradition continued. :) In keeping with our tradition I am going to write "my thanks".

As everyone knows this year has been a "year of transition" for our family. It has been a very emotional year, but God has seen us through and we are all happily in the will of God!

I'm thankful for... the friends who have been by my side letting me know "everything's going to be alright".

I'm thankful... for my family who has been a rock for me to stand on and feel secure.

I'm thankful for... a church who loved us "through it all".

I'm thankful for... the ministry who brought us close to their heart as we were brought into serving them.

I'm thankful for... all the hugs, smiles, and encouraging words from people who still don't know "what I was facing" when they gave them to me.

I'm thankful... God has used my husband to "make a difference" in the life of a church that was hurting and needed guidance.

I'm thankful for... all the churches we have been able to minister in, their kindness to us, and the presence of God we felt when we were with them.

I'm thankful... I have "felt at home" when we have been invited to those churches!

Where does someone as blessed as we are begin to say THANKS? And, where do I stop? God has been so good! He will always be good! I will always be His child and for this I AM THANKFUL!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU ALL!

MAY YOU BE BLESSED BEYOND MEASURE IN 2009!

Palestine Weekend and a Question

This weekend we were in Palestine with Bro. and Sis. Shiflet. There's something about these folks that is wonderful, and it makes you "want to be around them". They are true Christians and portray that in their love for God and people. My husband has spoken of Bro. Shiflet a lot through the years, but this was the first time I had the opportunity to be around him and Sis. Shiflet. I agree with my husband on what wonderful people they are!

Sunday morning we had a great time in the presence of God. Sunday evening I was unable to go because of sickness, which I was very upset over, but Wendell said they had a "blow out service"! It is so refreshing to be with those of "like precious faith", and to know you are among people that are SOLD OUT!

Since I was sick, I did not get a picture of all of us after church, and forgot to have my husband take the camera Sunday night, so I missed out on that one. :( I did snap a picture of Bro. Shiftlet in the pulpit Sunday morning.

I went to the doctor this afternoon, at the insistence of my husband, and found out "I'm going to live after all"! LOL! Really, she said I have an upper respiratory infection, gave me a shot, and said I will be better within 24-48 hours. That's what $94 will get you these days! LOL! But, I'm glad I went so I can enjoy Thanksgiving holidays.

Here's a question that has been going over and over in my mind for many years:

"I wonder what I can do to help carry the load of the ministers and wives who have unsaved children?"

There is nothing more disturbing to me than to think one of our sons would not be living for God! I am THANKFUL that they are both living for God, and BLESSED because God has chosen to use them to pastor churches, feed the "sheep", and reach the lost. I know I'm abundantly blessed in so many ways, yet my heart is saddened. I have friends and family in the ministry whose children are "wandering in Egypt" and have not made their way "HOME"! God, what can I do to help carry the burden for these "prodigal children"?

I was talking to a friend many years ago and said, "I can't stand the thought of going to church and not seeing my children there, because they are not living for God. I know you and your wife are thankful for what God is doing in your church, but EVERYTIME you go to church, look across the crowd, and do not see _________, you've got to have a heavy heart. EVERYTIME the door opens for that "late comer" to walk in, you must be looking for them. I just can't imagine the disappointment when it's not." He looked at me and said, "It's terrible!" There was a sadness in my friends eyes that I will never get away from!

If you are a preacher or preacher's wife who is reading my comments today, please know that you are not forgotten in the "anguish of your soul"! I do not know all of the preacher's kids who are not living for God, but I do pray they will COME HOME and it will be SOON! Please let me know if I can help "carry your burden" in any way. God bless you as you labor in His vineyard. Your reward will be GREAT!

Backslidden preacher's kid! IF you happen upon my blog and read this post, PLEASE KNOW you are being prayed for. You will never get away from the love of God and those who love you. I hope you will wake up and come back home where you belong. I love you....and I'm praying for you!

Those of you who will join me in praying...let's pray and see God work miracles in the lives of "our" backslidden children! If you happen to know a preacher and his wife who has an unsaved child, let them know you are praying for them.

One more thought...

When someone loses a loved one in death a lot of times people are afraid to say anything to them about the one who is gone. Maybe they don't know what to say, and maybe they're afraid you will be upset. Let me say, I find it a real JOY when someone remembers my parents or brother. I love it when that person walks up and tells me a memory they have of them. Somehow it makes them seem ALIVE again!

Why did I mention this? Because sometimes we tend to be afraid to "mention a lost loved one" to those who love them the most! We must remember "these children are still loved" and it would do their parents good to know we have "thought" about those closest to them.

That was just a thought.....thank you for listening to my heart.

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!

Update

I want to thank everyone for your prayers. Sis. Russo's brother did not have a brain tumor, but they found a very bad infection at the base of the brain. He is still needing a lot of prayer for complete healing. There are a lot of complications to this kind of infection.

Greetings

Greetings from "somewhere on the road in Texas"! We arrived home late last night and went straight to bed. We've had a wonderful week full of the presence of God, friends, family and celebrations. I am sorry I cannot blog about it all today, but we are getting ready to leave for Beaumont. Sis. Russo's brother is going into surgery this evening. She found out Monday evening that he has a tumor at the base of his brain so we are going to be with her. Please be in prayer for Sis. Russo's brother, Richard, also for her and the family. Thank you!

Just to say "HI"

Before going to sleep this evening I wanted to stop by and say "hello" to all my friends and family. We are enjoying the weekend here at "HOME". I will post about the whole weekend in a few days. Ya'll have a great Sunday and I will be "talking" to you soon. Love you all!

Oh yeah! I almost forgot! REMEMBER.....WINTER IS COMING!This is a picture of our house last winter. Please pray it sells SOON! THANK YOU!

No Greater Joy

When my husband finished at the office this afternoon we headed towards Wichita Falls for the Installation Services for Gene and Karla. We arrived in Balch Springs in time for church so we surprised Andrew and Mandy. Jonathan and Brenda were already there, and had called Andrew ahead of time to let him know they were going to be in church with them, but we wanted to just walk in on them. :) That's one of the things about my family that I've always loved...we LOVE to surprised people! It was so much fun!!!

My heart was full of happiness as I sat in church with my arms full of our granddaughters!

Mandy was playing their new "keyboard", and I was so proud of her and her position as Pastor's Wife. She fills her place beautifully!!! I looked across the platform and saw my three MEN and I almost couldn't contain the JOY I had! It is so neat to see my husband and our two sons together on the same platform. Excuse me as I enjoy tonight, but I just can't help it! I understand the scripture that says: "Greater joy have I none than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth." After church I took this picture and I love it! Someone ask for a "family picture" so we gathered together. Of course, I had to have one, too! Pastor and Mrs. Andrew Elms, Alayna and Ashlyn.They are all very happy, and are so thankful to be where God has placed them. From the very first night we met the saints in Balch Springs we fell in love with them. They are wonderful people and God is going to give them a great revival and harvest of souls!

Mandy noticed that the girls and I matched tonight, so she took this picture.While sitting in church holding Ashlyn she decided she wanted to kiss me, so she turned around and before I knew it she was kissing me right on the lips and wouldn't quit. It was so cute! All through service she would turn around and give me a big hug. I think she has really missed me. I know I have her! Alayna is growing up so much and I could really tell it tonight when I saw her. I wish I could keep all of them as "little girls" for a little longer, but time keeps marching on. All the "little cousins" had so much fun being with each other in church. I'm sure they didn't get anything out of being there tonight. :)

Thank you for "allowing" me to share "MY JOY".

Veteran's Day Weekend In Beaumont

I've been very busy today working on things at the office for future events, so I'm getting this post written later than I wanted to. But, it's been a productive day and that makes one feel good. At one point today all three secretaries were at the computer trying to figure out what I needed done! It was a real funny moment. Like...."how many Aggie's does it take..."Just kidding, girls! LOL!

Saturday we went to Beaumont to be there for the weekend. It had been quite awhile since we had been there so we were wanting to see the family and be in church with them. We had a wonderful weekend! We went around town and enjoyed time together. Saturday evening the "couples" were meeting to eat in Lumberton. It was so good to see everyone! They all made let us know they had missed us and it warmed our hearts. Here's a few of their pictures. Sunday morning in the service they had a time of honoring the Veteran's of The Apostolic Church. It was really moving when all of the men came forward who had served the United States of America in the Armed Forces! There were veteran's from World War II, The Korean War, Vietnam War, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Also, those who served in Peacetime were honored.At one point of the service Bro. Randy Hughes asked for the men to share a memory with the congregation. He gave the microphone to one gentleman who started to speak, then started crying. You could feel the "meaning" of his tears. Bro. Hughes also called for a "moment of silence" in honor of those who are no longer with us. Thank God for those who have fought for our freedom. It was all very touching!

When we walked into the sanctuary for Morning Worship the presence of the Lord met us. It was as if a warm blanket of His presence covered us. We were refreshed once again in the presence of the Lord. Thank you Apostolic Church for following the leading of the Holy Ghost! You blessed us!

After service the Spanish Church served a delicious meal!!! WOW! The tacos, beans and rice were SCRUPTIOUS! During the dinner one of the men in the church brought Jonathan a belated Birthday Cake! We had to cut into RIGHT THEN! It was DELICIOUS! Sunday night I was invited to play the organ for service, and I had a wonderful time. Some of the songs I had to "feel my way along", but I don't think it sounded "too bad". :) I did feel "at home" playing again.

Savanna and Scarlet are growing up more everytime we see them. They're still as beautiful as always! They enjoyed some time with Papa.