The Pfahlert Pfam...

Welcome Tiny Tillia

2011-11-08T11:12:00.000-05:00

Photo Editing Fun

2010-11-08T22:06:00.000-05:00

I'm having some fun lately editing photos...

Before:

After:

Back in a groove...

2010-08-19T10:07:00.000-04:00

Well, Mom & Dad left to go back to MD today. I was so happy that they stayed with us, for Mom's sake I thought...you know prolong the inevitable...they're going home to an empty house. No Mom-mom waiting, no pups to feed and put out, just quiet.

I'm praying for Mom today because I know it's going to be a long drive home and for Dad because he needs continued strength to support Mom. But on my way to work, I started crying and couldn't figure out why.

Then it hit me...I needed this visit just as much as Mom did. I miss Mom-mom too. I can't call her on my break at work, can't hear her voice whenever, and won't see her when I go to MD for Steven's wedding in a little over a month.

I guess I just have to take my own advice. Get back in a groove. One step at a time. When grief feels heavier than the clouds which overcast the sky this morning, we truck on...and like Mom-mom LOVED to stay, we "Put our BIG GIRL panties on, and deal with it!" Miss you and love you Mom-mom, but I'm so HAPPY and even a little jealous for you...no more pain, no more tears for you.

Obituary and Arrangements

2010-08-12T12:56:00.002-04:00

Our dearest friends and family,

We want to thank you for your continued prayer and support throughout these last few weeks. Mom-mom went home to be with her savior on Tuesday August 10. The obituary can be found here. The viewings and services are as follows:

Maryland Services

Viewings

Friday August 13, 2010

2:00 - 4:00 PM

4:00 - 6:00 PM

Barranco & Sons Funeral Home

495 Ritchie Hwy.

Severna Park, MD 21146

Memorial Service

Saturday August 14, 2010

11:00 AM

Elvaton Church

8422 Elvaton Rd.

Millersville, MD 21108

South Carolina Services

Viewing

Monday August 16, 2010

9:30 - 11:00 AM

Norton Funeral Home

495 North Main Street

Bishopville, SC 29010

Graveside Service

Monday August 16, 2010

11:30 AM

Cedar Creek Baptist Church

2980 Camden Hwy.

Bishopville, SC 29010

Saying goodbye...

2010-07-31T22:01:00.000-04:00

It seems as though one of the worst things that could happen is happening...right now...and I can't do a thing to stop it.

My precious, sweet, loving, caring, GIVING, amazing, strong, feisty, stubborn, (I could go on) Mom-mom is dying. I spent the better part of last week praying with her, spending precious time with family, and hoping for healing. I still pray and hope, but at the beginning of next week, she's going home. Home to the house she's lived in since I was in High School. Home to a bedroom with a hospital bed and a nurse. Home to the place where her body is going to wear out. I know this sounds depressing, but my heart is truly sad.

Her worn out body is full of infection and pneumonia on top of the effects of last week's stroke. She has a feeding tube in her nose that constantly drips into her stomach. She's on an IV b/c she cannot swallow or drink. She's in and out of consciousness. She knows who is speaking to her and hears what they are saying, but cannot speak in return.

My hope now rests in the fact that soon she will be free from pain and fear. We serve an amazing God who saves us from all pain. Miracles happen daily and I refuse to limit God's ability to save her from this and grant her a full recovery here on Earth, but I also know the reality that life on Earth is mortal. Eternal life is only by the grace of God.

Mom-mom, I love you and will continue to hope and pray and honor you the best way that I can. You are the BEST grandmother a girl could ever ask for. You have taught me so many things. One of those things is love. I pray that I will be able to continue to love as you have. You never gave up on your family and look at us. We're finally together again. I pray we don't lose these bonds that we're re-building. I promise to do the best that I can to keep us together and to love just as you've taught me how. And if God decides to heal you? Well I will praise Him just the same as I will if and when He chooses to to take you HOME! I love you Mom-mom.

Stream of (barely) consciousness...

2010-07-21T10:58:00.001-04:00

Most, if not all of you, know that my Mom-mom had surgery this morning. The Drs. were confident that she had a severe blockage in the carotid artery and that as a result of the stroke she had earlier in the month she needed surgery to bypass the blockage. Well, when they went to put the stent in this morning, they found it was not necessary. In recovery, she suffered another stroke...

I'm still waiting on details, but in the meantime I am at work waiting...watching the clock...trying unnsuccessfully to be productive...feeling guilty because I can only concentrate on one thing...my grandmother (Mom-mom.)

A co-worker and friend reminded me that "God is the GREAT PHYSICIAN." I believe that, but am honestly struggling right now. I haven't really ever had to deal with death; not when it came to a close family member anyhow. When I was in college and my Mom had colon cancer, I refused to even consider death as an option. Now, I find myself thinking about it often. Too many what ifs over the past few weeks. What if...

...they can't do surgery and she dies?
...she has another stroke before the surgery and doesn't make it?
...they can't put the stent in and have to do emergency bypass?
...the surgery is successful and everythings ok?

Never did I think what if the surgery is completely unnecessary and she'd have another stroke in recovery.

As I sit here waiting for more news, I am comforted by one thing about death, specifically regarding my precious Mom-mom. She will be in heaven...there's NO doubt in my mind. That's OBVIOUSLY not what I want to be thinking about, but right now, there's no controlling the thoughts that just roll across my thick head.

If you're reading this, then I hope that you will pray with me. I'm reminded of Isaiah 55:8-9,

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts."

God is and will continue to be in control and regardless of what happens next, I'm comforted by this.

MOVING DAY SLIDESHOW

2009-09-14T13:58:00.000-04:00

It's been a while...

2009-08-30T00:03:00.005-04:00

Ok, so it's been a while since one of us has blogged. I bet you think I'm gonna blog about our new house.

No such luck...sorry.

I want to tell you about my new ~~MONEY SAVING PLAN~~...~~HOBBY~~...ADDICTION... yeah that's better.

couponing

I'm not sure if it's just a "southern" fad, a soccer mom* thing, or just another phase in life, but SO many people here are couponing. This is more than just heading over to the 'ole walmarts with the current weeks newspaper coupons. There are rules, and specific store policies (because someone always has to push the limits), and all different ways to find coupons. A friend of mine once told me that she "made" money shopping at CVS, and I didn't really understand, but the other day I spent $6 out of pocket (or oop in "coupon lingo") for a ton of stuff.

2 nights ago, I went to Harris Teeter, the expensive grocery store and bought all of this:

for only $9.62!

And I'm just a "beginner."

Of course it may not seem like there are many items in the photo, but let me give you a quick list:

6 pink lady apples
8 cans of Alpo Dog food (makes for a Happy Jack)
2 six packs of Mott's Applesauce
2 four packs of dole parfait cups
4 four packs of dole gel cups
3 four pack of yo-plus yogurt
64 oz. welch's juice
1 herbal essences shampoo
1 herbal essences conditioner

Harris Teeter was having their "super doubles" coupon sale, so this was more than worth the trip just for all the freebies I could snag. The most expensive thing I purchased were the apples @ 2.87.

***WARNING***Here's where I ramble about how I really should've paid less. I know it seems stingy, but dang, I worked hard to put my shopping list together. (Ok, ok, I copied it from here...God bless you Jenny @ Southern Savers... but really, it takes time to print all those coupons, and cutting them out...well let's just say, I think I'm developing some serious scissor calluses.)

Rambling ensues:

To be quite frank, I SHOULD have paid 3.50 less than the total for all of this. It was late when I went...I like it this way, b/c stores are SO empty at 10:00PM (with the exception of nosey soccer moms*.) When I got to the register, only the self-checkouts were open. I checked the items out, counted the amount of each value of the coupons I had, and handed them over. Some of my coupons would not double in their system, and somehow in the mix of things, one $1 coupon didn't even scan. I tried to go over each of the coupons with the gentleman at the checkout (it was REALLY slow, so there weren't any annoyed shoppers in line behind me.) He was so sweet and was about to adjust the incorrect coupons when another employee decided to get in the middle of the situation. She explained why a few of them didn't completely double. I actually had coupons worth more than the product cost and they don't give overages. Okay, no biggie...I was satisfied with her response (hey I'm still new at this,) but there were still a few coupons that I questioned. Some nosy shopper decided she needed to be helpful and explain the store's policy to me while all this was going on. At this point, I was pretty frustrated, so I just paid, but when I got to the car and looked over my receipt, I found the mistakes. I've decided from now on that it's best to avoid the self checkouts because you can't monitor the coupons as they're scanned. Unless of course I'm in Food Lion or Lowe's Foods, b/c I can scan my own there.

Okay, rambling over...maybe tomorrow, I'll tell you about how I spent $.98 on 3 glade oil tins and 1 refill pack at Target! G'night!

*No soccer mom's were harmed (and hopefully non offended) during the writing/reading of this post.

I really CAN do this!

2009-03-03T21:12:00.006-05:00

Today was day one of Workout week #3. Adam decided that he was so proud of me for sticking to this so far, that I could get new tennis shoes. Wow...I must REALLY give up on things fast.

Tonight was truly a make or break night though. One of my workout buddies is home in FL for spring break, the other had Upward practice tonight, and a third decided that she couldn't make it b/c of cooking dinner and family drama. At least for a night, I had no girls to go to the gym with. I had a reason to stay home tonight. Instead, I went online and found a link from a friend's blog for Couch to 5K in 2 months. I decided to give week one a try.

WHAT? YOU'RE 275 POUNDS AND YOU'RE GOING TO THE GYM ALONE TO NOT ONLY WORKOUT, BUT RUN!?!?!?!?

Yes, all this and more was going through my mind too. Instead, I went and I got on that treadmill and I did the first day of week one. I did it! I really did! Just when I thought I wouldn't finish, I realized, I was up to 17 minutes and I only had to run for one more minute! That's all...really? I can ABSOLUTELY do this. Guess what? You can too! I'll leave you with this...

This WILL NOT be me!

Workout Day 1

2009-02-17T20:42:00.003-05:00

Today was the first day of working out. I seriously can't remember the last time I REALLY worked out. I decided the other day that if I was going to really consider getting in shape again, I needed a buddy. I picked Julie. Then I mentioned something about working out to other friends, Amy and Cassie. I now have 3 buddies to work out with! GIRL POWER!

We get to use the gym equipment as seminary wives, so we went to the Ledford Center and lined up on the treadmills. (Unfortunately Julie couldn't make it. Please pray for her husband's family as Stephen's grandpa passed away. They went home to Alabama for a week.) I think we each walked/ran about 2 miles which is more than I thought we'd do. I'm so proud of myself...I actually jogged a bit. It's so encouraging to have buddies who can push each other.

My goal is to go to the gym at least twice a week, use a yoga video another three days, and take a day off. Adam & I have been following the South Beach diet and lost 30 lbs. each, but the holiday season put some back on. We're back on the diet and I'm exercising, so I'm hoping 30 more lbs. comes off just as fast. Here's hoping! More updates to come, so feel free to push me...I NEED IT!

~Mary

Snow Storm January 2009

2009-01-21T22:10:00.007-05:00

On Monday, the weather forecast said that we were gonna get like 4 inches of snow on Tuesday. Well, I didn't believe it, but sure enough when I woke up Tuesday morning, it was SNOWING!!!!

I dragged Adam outside and we took a walk and I took some pictures. The first are of North Main St. (the historic homes in Wake Forest) and the rest were taken on campus.

Zee Tree, Zee Tree!!!

2008-12-03T22:25:00.001-05:00

I think I can honestly say that this is the most fun job I've ever had. I absolutely LOVE working at these tree lots... I mean, who's in a bad mood when they're coming to buy a Christmas Tree??? The hours are definitely long, but it's worth it. Having a great time...

As you can see, we got our tree... Got it Monday and it's still not decorated... we'll get there... it's about 9 feet tall after all is said and done... loving it... just loving it...

Updates and such

2008-11-08T19:24:00.014-05:00

Okay, so Adam's been updating this pretty well, but I haven't, so I'm just going to post some pictures of some things we've been up to. By the way, praise the LORD I got a job!!! I'm working for ONUG Communications. They are a Christian owned company that stands by it's principles to be governed by Christ. I'm an admin. asst. for a group that is contracted by AT&T. Our group works in an AT&T building close to downtown Raleigh. I have about a 40 minute commute. It's NOWHERE near as bad as it was in MD.

This is Josiah. I babysat him every Friday morning until I started working. He's my little Elmer Fudd...those eyebrows are so expressive.
This is the terminal opening of RDU. Mom & Dad were trying Chili from the new Carolina Ale House. By the way, a lot of the new restaurants are owned by the company I used to work for, HMSHost.This is my Mary Kay director, Audrey. I can't believe I've known her for almost 8 years now. She still looks the same. This product WORKS y'all. We were laughing so hard at Kathy, a newer consultant, who was standing on a chair promising to advance to Red Jacket by the next event, so she didn't have to sleep in the bunk beds. Then Lauren, my upline and mentor, was doing the "Solja Boy" We were in stitches!

Lauren doin "Solja Boy" and Kathy's announcement.

Adam surprised me and took me to see Rodney Atkins at the NC State Fair. It was so awesome. We had seats on the floor and I got to walk up to the stage to take pictures. I so wish we had our new camera then b/c the pictures would have been SO much better. We totally cheated on our diet that night and ate a lot of bad food. It was so good though.The last weekend in October, I drove 3 hrs. to Charlotte, NC to go to Corinna's baby shower. I was priviledged to make her cake, but I spelled Haiden's name wrong. Ooops, wish I'd known. Another friend of hers made the cupcakes. They were so cute and the stands she had displayed them so well.Last weekend, I participated in the Craft and Bake sale at Southeastern. They do this every year so that Seminary wives who have creative gifts can make a little Christmas money. I used the opportunity to try to sell some cards and to get names for potential Mary Kay customers. Well, I only sold one set of cards, but I got 45 names for makeovers. That was definitely worth it since I've decided to pursue my business more intensely.

Wow, I know that was a lot in one blog, but I wanted to at least update you on some of the things I've been doing since we've been here at Southeastern.

2008-10-21T07:25:00.001-04:00

i was studying hebrew participles this morning and threw my head up in frustration for a second. take hebrew and you'll understand... think there's a lot of exceptions in english???... HA!... anyway, when i picked my head up this is what i saw... i must say that getting up at 430am every day doesn't pay off very often, but when it does... it pays out big time. today i hit the jackpot... this picture taken with my phone doesn't do this sunrise justice... or in hebrew.... it doesn't do it "tsadak"... this is my new favorite hebrew word...

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Excuses, excuses, excuses...

2008-10-09T17:02:00.001-04:00

The degree that I'm currently pursuing is a Masters of Divinity. There are several core classes that are required for the degree, but also a large number of electives. While the seminary offers a wide variety of concentrations, the concentration that I'm currently enrolled in is that of "Christian Ministry." Sounds kind of broad doesn't it? Well, it's meant to because it's somewhat of a "make your own concentration" concentration. There are 30 credits of electives built into it.

I'm trying to get as many of the core classes out of the way as early as possible, because I figured that it would take me a while to decide which electives I'd like to take. I think I've decided that I'm going to take as many classes on apologetics as possible. These classes teach you how to argue for Christianity. For instance, it would help me be able to answer the hard questions that we ALL know middle and high school students ask eventually. It will give me a broader and deeper knowledge of different world religions and how to share the love our Prince of Peace with them.

I've been thinking about this for awhile, but something i saw today solidified it for me. There is a local pastor here of a really big, really good church called The Summit Church. The pastor's name is JD Greear and he has a blog that I like to keep up with. One of the church's projects lately was to find out what non-Christians are saying about-- well... why they're not Christians. I found myself silenced by their ponderings. These are not quotes from people who are just too lazy to go to church. Some of them are incredibly well thought out arguments, and some of them I would have nothing to say to without a lot of research. I don't want to have to tell everyone I have a conversation with that "I'll have to get back to you on that after i do some research..." That does not say to anyone that I'm serious about Jesus.

So with all that said, this is my prayer today: "Father, since you've seen it fit to put me in Wake Forest, NC for the next four or so years, I'm going to do my best to spend them preparing for the conversations I'm going to have for the rest of my life. I want to share You with those I come in contact with. I want others to know that You are really, really, real. Give me wisdom, give me tact, and give me opportunities... all for Your glory and not for mine, through Your Son. Amen."

Here's what some of those excuses were:

Moreover, I am appalled by many many things that are sanctioned in the bible. So even if I believed the Christian god did exist, I would not respect him/her enough to become a Christian.

…However, Christianity is fundamentally based on the Bible, which is supposedly the Word of God. This is where my problem comes in. Man is flawed, Man sins, Man is corruptible... Man wrote the Bible. Man has rewritten and changed the Bible to suit his own needs and the needs of the leading political faction of its respective eras. So you're not asking me to believe in Jesus or Christianity, you're asking me to have faith in mankind, and that my friends, believe it or not, is much harder than having faith in Christianity

…I believe that the bible and some other sources of Christian instruction have been heavily influenced by culture through out the centuries….

…I don't see any justice or any love in the Bible anywhere. Sending bears to tear children apart, condoning and sanctioning rape, encouraging the fanaticism that says it would be OK to sacrifice your own kid. EW! Not for me, thanks….

In short, the Bible doesn't make sense. It was written hundreds of years ago when people were searching for answers; why do people die? why are there floods? why did the star fall from the sky? Today we know these answers. There is no need to fall back to a book just because we are comfortable with it….

When I got older, I read the Bible and noticed how it conflicted with itself and proven science in many ways. This made it very difficult to take the rest at face value

Priorities

2008-10-03T19:43:00.001-04:00

Sent to you by Adam via Google Reader:

Priorities

via the jester's pub by markhelsel on 10/3/08

"It's extraordinary to me that the United States can find $700 billion to save Wall Street and the entire G8 can't find $25 billion to save 25,000 children who die every day from preventable diseases."

-Bono

Lord help us!

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Why I Love My Boring Job...

2008-09-21T03:46:00.001-04:00

You may have to click on the picture to see it better, but if you look closely, there are two deer in this picture. I was making my "exterior rounds" at one of the plants that I haven't worked at yet, and before heading in, i was lucky enough to snap this pick with my phone. It was taken about 3:10am. Are deer nocturnal?

Anyways, I got called a the last minute for this shift, but I'm grateful for any hours that they'll give me right now. If that means pulling an all-nighter, then so be it. We have Sunday School in the morning, then I'll be able to catch a few Z's before all the big games tomorrow! All the games I wanted to see are being televised here! Panthers at Minnesota, Steelers of course, and the Green Bay/Dallas game is sure to be a non-stop battle till the end.

After they're great start this year, I'm finding myself becoming a fair-weather Panthers fan. Don't get me wrong, the Steelers are still No. 1 in my heart and always will be, but it's nice to be able to root for a hometown team. I never could do that in Baltimore. It's actually a bit difficult to find people interested in the NFL down here. They're all about college ball here, and believe it or not, they could care less about UNC, Duke, or NC State. They're all Georgia Bulldogs fans. I made the mistake of asking one of our neighbors if he was a Green Bay Packers fan because the front of his SUV had a big "G" on the licence plate holder. I was quickly corrected... and embarrassed. Live and learn...

This is kind of random, but if you're a football fan of any sort and enjoy quick little novels by amazing authors, check this book out. It won't disappoint. If you want to borrow it, let me know and I'll send it out to you if you promise to send it back when you're done. It will also make you want to go to Italy.

I've blabbed enough for one night. OH! One more plug... If it's playing anywhere near you, go see the new movie Fireproof. Should be excellent. OK, I'm done now... TTFN...

I just love Hurricane season in the SOUTH...

2008-09-12T22:27:00.006-04:00

So this is what our gas gauge looked like today...

And this is what the line at Sheetz looked like...

I just needed gas...these people probably filled up 2 days ago...oh did I mention that the Hess station was OUT OF GAS?!!!!!????!!!!????

Why I Support the Palin Family

2008-09-02T05:16:00.001-04:00

Sent to you by Adam via Google Reader:

Daughters

via McCainBlogette by meghan@mccainblogette.com (Meghan McCain) on 9/1/08

The first political convention I ever attended was when my mom was pregnant with me in 1984 and the Republican Party nominated Ronald Reagan for a second term as President. I have been on political stages and in campaigns since before I could walk or talk. If there is one thing I have learned, it is that it is difficult to establish your identity and independence as the son or daughter of a politician. When I was 14 years old, a reporter questioned my father about me having a hypothetical abortion, had I been pregnant at 14. This reporter's question single-handedly changed my life. This story comes up in almost every profile written about me and in almost every interview. It's a rough go being the son or daughter of a politician. I have not known Bristol Palin very long, but there is a certain kinship I feel to her as I do other political daughters such as Chelsea Clinton, Jenna and Barbara Bush and Mary Cheney. You can't fully understand it unless you have lived it. So I just wanted to let it be known that I support Bristol and the entire Palin family.

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PTL...Mom-mom's Home!

2008-08-29T17:54:00.002-04:00

Praise the Lord! Mom-mom's home from the hospital. We've got her all propped up in an arm chair. She's still got a long way to go, but we're thankful that she's home. Thanks for your prayers.

Also, thank God b/c Adam's dad had his first test where they "lit" his body up with the first radioactive pill. The only place there were thyroid cells were in his neck where his thyroid was. The next dose of medicine will kill these cells, but for the next 5 days, they have to stay 8 feet apart and everything he uses that isn't disposable has to be wrapped in plastic wrap. If he touches something that isn't wrapped, then it has to be put away and not touched for 80 days until the radioactive stuff does it's half life thing and goes away. Crazy huh!

Mom-mom Update and Week 1 Review

2008-08-25T06:30:00.001-04:00

Thank you for you continued prayers for Mom-mom. The surgery went well yesterday, but they will definitely have to put pins in sometime later this week or next week. She will also have to have skin grafts done after the next surgery. She had to have this done after she hurt her leg a few years ago, and it was very painful. They kept her in the hospital last night. We'll let you know what happens as we find out more.

In other news, classes went very well this week. My hardest class by far is going to be Hebrew. It's not as much difficult as it is a lot of work outside of the classroom. I worked an extra shift on Saturday (6a - 6p) and spend a good 3-4 hours just reading through the lesson and doing the homework. I still have some vocab to memorize before Wednesday. At the same time, even though it's tough, I'm really enjoying it. I hope I'm still saying that 1/2-way through the semester. Old Testament and Hermeneutics are just a lot of reading and a few papers. Not too bad.

Please continue to pray that Mary finds a job soon. We seem to be running into a brick wall at every turn. We know God provides and that His will is perfect, we just hope that He reveals it to us sooner than later.

Latest Mom-mom Update

2008-08-24T22:06:00.002-04:00

Mom-mom's out of surgery. A hand specialist will be in tomorrow to see her. She will probably have to have another surgery to put pins in. There was a LOT of bleeding and dead skin. Pray that her body replenishes itself (no tranfusion yet). She's going to have to get a skin graft. Not fun. She went through that once with her shin and it was really painful. I haven't talked to her yet and I really want to go home. With no job yet, I don't know if I can. We'll post more tomorrow once the hand Dr. has seen her.

Mom-Mom Update

2008-08-24T16:23:00.000-04:00

Last we heard, Mom-mom was in surgery to set the bone. The doctors say it's a pretty bad break, and are planning on doing another surgery later to put in pins. More later...

Pray for Mom-Mom

2008-08-24T13:16:00.001-04:00

If you could say a quick prayer for Mom-Mom (Mary's grandmother) we would appreciate it. She is in the emergency room at Anne Arundel Medical Center with a broken arm (or wrist). She fell at church in Grasonville this morning. We're not sure about all the details, but we someone said something about multiple fractures and at least one of them being compound. We'll keep you updated.

Our Cat is PSYCHO!

2008-08-21T20:36:00.002-04:00

Here's a video of Grace being crazy...and a glimpse of our kitchen...okay okay, our fridge.

Worth pondering. . . .

2008-08-19T06:15:00.002-04:00

Normally I don't post things here that have to do with youth ministry, but at the same time, I think there is a huge responsibility here for ANYONE who is involved with a church family where teenagers exist. Contrary to popular belief, youth ministry is a ministry of THE CHURCH, not of just the youth minister. Fortunately, I have been blessed to be in churches where for the most part, this is understood. But it never hurts to be reminded. If you have a couple minutes to read the following, I would encourage you to. I'd love for you to leave comments with your thoughts as well.

Worth pondering. . . .

via learning my lines. . . by Walt Mueller on 8/18/08

Lot's of new announcements coming from us here at CPYU in the next few weeks. Fasten your seat belt! One of the projects Derek Melleby has been working on is a new blog called "CPYU Bookshelf." It will debut in a few weeks as a new resource that's sure to be a hit. In the meantime, Derek has been working on some material prior to the launch, including an interview with Tim Clydesdale, author of The First Year Out: Understanding American Teens After High School.

Derek asked Tim some great questions. Tim's answers offer some helpful insight into who teens are and how we're doing ministry. You'll have to wait to read the entire interview. But I thought I'd pass on Derek's last question to Tim, along with Tim's answer. . . . which includes some challenging and sobering observations at the end.

Derek: "College transition" is currently a hot topic in youth ministry these days. Churches are reporting that more and more students walk away from the faith during the college years. What do you think are the implications of your research for youth pastors as they prepare students in their youth groups for college?

Tim: Those who "walked away" from their faith during college made the decision to do so long before their college years – they just waited for the freedom of college to enact that choice. In many cases, these teens reported having important questions regarding faith during early adolescence (12-14 years old) that were ignored by their parents or pastors rather than taken seriously and engaged thoughtfully. It is in early adolescence that faith trajectories (along with other life trajectories) are set, thus early adolescence is the point when preparation must occur. Middle and late adolescence are increasingly similar, as college represents less of a qualitative change and more of a quantitative change. In other words, there are few ideas and freedoms available to college students that are not also available to high school students – college students simply experience ideas and freedoms in greater quantity. Hence, early adolescence are the years when churches must prepare their youth, and must do so fully aware that youth now arbitrate among many claims for their allegiance. Sadly, most youth ministries are long on fun and fluff and short on listening and thoughtful engagement. The former produces a million paper boats; the latter produces a handful of seaworthy ships. Launching a million paper boats is an amazing spectacle on a clear summer day, but only a ship can weather storms and cross oceans.

Did you read those last three lines???? Read them again and ponder them. Wow. What do you think?

Saddleback Civil Forum

2008-08-15T12:44:00.004-04:00

I haven't been paying too much attention to the Presidential campaigns lately, but I did want to make you aware, if you're not already, of an event that will be broadcast live from Saddleback Church this Saturday evening from 8pm-10pm Eastern Time. Pastor Rick Warren, author of the bestselling book The Purpose Driven Life will be hosting a "Civil Forum" with McCain and Obama in which he will ask each candidate the same questions, but without the other present. I think this will give very valuable insight into the minds of these candidates.

According to FoxNews.com, the questions are planned "'to avoid 'gotcha' questions that typically produce heat instead of light' Warren said he would focus on how the candidates' make their leadership decisions rather than having them staking out their political positions." Read the rest of the story here. Whether you're dead set on who you're voting for, or if you have no idea, I would encourage you to watch this event Saturday night. It will be on both CNN and Fox News, and if you don't have cable, it will be streamed live online at http://www.saddlebackcivilforum.com/.

And so we begin...

2008-08-15T12:44:00.003-04:00

Good morning! The time is currently 5:15am as i sit at the security desk at the employee entrance of Eaton's new plant in Youngsville, NC. The good news is that this job will allow me to get plenty of studying done once classes start on Tuesday.

Speaking of classes, we had "matriculation" this past Tuesday where we officially enrolled in seminary. My original plan was to take 12 credits hours (4 classes) this semester, but that plan changed when just about EVERYONE we spoke to told me to start with just 9 (3 classes) my first semester and take it from there. My first semester will include Old Testament I, Hebrew I, and Hermeneutics (Biblical Interpretation). Should be fun. Looks like I'll only have one or two big papers to write this semester, which will also be good.

My schedule will be a little unconventional, but I think it will help me to get the most work done outside of class. Hebrew is Tuesday and Wednesday 12:30-1:50, Old Testament is Tuesday 3:30-6:20pm and Hermeneutics is Tuesday 6:30-9:20pm. Mary will be taking Hermeneutics with me. We're looking forward to it as we have never taken a class together before.

Please continue to pray that God would show us the best possibility for Mary's job. She's waiting on two phone calls hopefully early next week. We'll keep you posted.

Church Tryout #2

2008-08-11T10:49:00.002-04:00

Okay so we tried out church #2 yesterday. It's called New Community Church and we really liked it. We are planning to go again next Sunday, because this week was a youth led service. They had just gotten back from a mission trip in Boston and put together this great service. We were warmly welcomed and they had a "meet and greet" time before the service with coffee and donuts. We met the youth minister's husband. Yes, the Part-time youth minister is a woman, and she seemed really good. Pastor Bill would have LOVED the sanctuary. It was a multi-purpose room that served as a gym, sanctuary, and probably fellowship hall. The acoustics were really good for having a tile floor. They were kinda small, and only have one service. We're curious about their small group ministry. We like the idea of being in a smaller church, because we may have more opportunities to get plugged in and help. (Hey Adam may even get to preach there sometime.)

The prior week we went to Richland Creek Community Church. It was a very large church. They have three services and you could probably put Elvaton Church's entire building in the sanctuary. No one greeted us and we felt like we stuck out like a sore thumb. We participated in communion, but it was done differently then we had ever experienced. The "process" wasn't explained and we were unsure of what to do. There were 4 tables set up across the front. You walked up when the ushers let your row go, you took the communion elements, then prayed as a family at the alter. At least that's what everyone else did, so Adam prayed over our communion. It was kind of a cool concept, but since it wasn't really explained, we were kinda lost and confused. At least the Pastor did explain that the communion was meant for Christians. We had a friend visiting for the weekend, so it was the three of us at the alter. Afterward, the consensus was that if we weren't Christians walking into the church, we probably wouldn't go back.

This process of finding a church is so new to us. It's hard because we want to go about it with the right approach. A church isn't a building, so we shouldn't judge based on the size or color or whether it's new or it's old. We may not feel comfortable at first, but God doesn't call us to be comfortable all of the time. However, we know that the right church for us is about the people. Our original plan was to go to a bunch of churches and then "pick" if you will which one we would attend. We've been convicted that we just cannot find a church this way. We would be doing all of those things that we shouldn't...comparing based on wealth, size, what people do for us, etc. We'll continue to go to New Community. If we feel that there are "Theological" issues, or false teaching, then we won't continue. However, this may be our "Raleigh" church. Please pray for us as we seek God's plan for us during our time here in Wake Forest, just as we pray for Elvaton's Pastor search over the upcoming months.

The Quad's complete...

2008-08-09T20:06:00.004-04:00

We've been here almost 3 weeks now and we just finished helping another new student move in. Each apartment building in our little community consists of 4 apartments. 2 downstairs and 2 upstairs. A young, single, girl from Wilmington, DE (woohoo the first "notherner" we've met) just moved into the upstairs apartment next to us. Luckily her truck wasn't so big. That girl sure does like shoes though. Our quad is complete.

Yesterday, I saw a big U-Haul pull in...yes, as big as ours. I started to not feel so bad until we went to help. I found out that the couple moving in had 3 little children (ages 4, 20 mo., and 1 mo.) and had moved from a house on almost an acre of land! They had a reason for renting a 26' truck for sure! I don't think they'll be here long though because they're hoping to be able to move into something bigger for the kids' sake.

We've met so many people so far. We haven't gotten many pictures yet though. It seems awkward to say, "Hey, we want our family and friends back home to know we've actually met people." As soon as we get some pics, I'll post for all to see.

The apartment is coming together. It's a little slow, b/c we're running out of nooks and crannies to put things. Once it's together, I'll post some pics of it as well.

Just wanted to give everyone at home an update. We miss you all, but are extremely excited about orientation on Monday and Tuesday. Then we'll know our class schedules and have ID badges. We'll be REAL students again. Seems strange, but my mom has always joked that my career would be to "be a student."

God Bless!
~Mary

Baker's Dozen - Lesson's Learned on the trip to NC

2008-08-05T19:44:00.002-04:00

Okay, so me and the girls (Laurien and Persi) put this list together after getting to NC 2 weeks ago. What? It's been 2 weeks? And I still don't have a job! Please pray!

1. Use the Bathroom whenever you get the chance. (Laurien's lesson)
2. Cat puke smells like cat food. Eww!
3. Benadryl "quick" dissolving strips make cats foam at the mouth. Seriously...just give them the pill.
4. Benadryl definitely wears off after 3 hours. (Not great on a 5 hr. car ride)
5. NC has really bumpy roads (at least in certain counties.)
6. There are a lot of churches in NC. 10 churches on the road from Rt. 1 to our apt.
7. It is IMPOSSIBLE to set the cruise control behind a U-Haul.
8. Don't drink too much soda on a 5 hr. drive. (see #1)
9. It's NOT fun to drive on the Nice bridge in the rain (esp. in a U-Haul!)
10. 2 Cats + 1 Crate = A LOT of hissing.
11. Little cats don't like it when big cats lay on them. (more hissing)
12. Don't leave lingerie on hangers b/c strangers just might help you move. A little embarrassing...

Last but not least...

13. Don't leave a box of donuts in the oven...even if it's off...you will forget later, and you will preheat the oven and almost catch the house on fire.

Week One... Almost Done...

2008-07-27T08:55:00.013-04:00

Today marks six days since we have made our big move from Millersville, MD to Wake Forest, NC. Our on-campus apartment, though not big by any means, has proven to be quite sufficient for us so far; especially since we've housed eight people here fairly comfortably for the past three nights.

Mary & I, Mary's dad, two girls from our youth group back home, and a good friend of ours got here on Tuesday. After trying three or four apartments before finally finding ours, we started unloading our 26' U-Haul (which was almost completely full) about 4 o'clock. We were fortunate enough to have some new neighbors volunteer to help us out. We got most of the big stuff up Tuesday afternoon, and got the rest of the boxes up on Wednesday morning. Mary's mom and our friend Sharon got here Thursday evening.

Since we're living in the only place on campus that allows pets, we have made several new furry friends. Just about everyone here has a dog or cat. There are also several kids that live in the apartment complex. It's really a nice little community. Everyone left in Mom & Dad's van about 12:30 this afternoon, so now it's just Mary & I, the cats, and lots of boxes. All things considered, I don't think it's going to take long before this starts to feel like our temporary "home." Feel free to drop us a line or stop by on your way through any time!

Here are some moving day pictures for you...

Anxiety vs. Eagerness

2008-07-12T00:30:00.003-04:00

anxious: full of mental stress or uneasiness

eager: impatiently longing

I've always been amazed at the incredible difference and yet similarity between these two words. Some may say they are polar opposites, but at this point in our lives, it is definitely appropriate to use both of them to describe how we're feeling. Mary is at the point of total stress, and I am ready to start classes.

Our transition from the "Maryland Pfahlert's" to the "North Carolina Pfahlert's" is in full swing. I think the reality of it really hit Mary today when she packed up her things from her desk at work and brought them home. She will work Monday and a half a day on Tuesday, and then she'll be done at HMS Host.

We have spent this last week fitting in those last dinners, last visits, last rounds of golf (both traditional and disc), and our last Wednesday night youth group. There were tears and hugs, but there were also promises made. We promised to keep writing and keep praying, and our students promised to keep seeking the Son. We pray that they truly will continue to find strength in their fellowship with each other, and that they will continue to grow through God's Word. I shared these two verses from Hebrews with them:

Hebrews 12:1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of
witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily
entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us
fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy
set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right
hand of the throne of God.

We have incredible examples to follow from the Scriptures. Men like Abraham, Moses, and David. Each of them had their own race to run just as each of us have our own race to run that God has set before us. It has come time for our road, and the road of our family at Elvaton Church to split. The road is not always an easy one as we all know, but we run with endurance for the prize that we know waits for us at the end. Though we may all take different paths to get there, we all fix our eyes on Jesus; for He is our goal, and we shall all meet Him in the end.

We praise God for our time here. We cherish the relationships we have made with both friends and mentors, and will continue to keep in touch with the people here. We have learned many lessons and gained an amazing amount of experience. God is working mightily at Elvaton Church and we pray that He will continue to do so in the future.

There is no doubt that the tears and the goodbye's will continue this coming week, as will the packing and the heavy lifting (*groan*)... Bring it on...

T-minus 10 days and counting... ... ...

A phone call and a decision...

2008-06-19T21:38:00.005-04:00

I was getting ready for a rousing game of disc golf today when I received a call from a strange number on my cell phone. It took a minute, but I recognized the number as one from the seminary. It was the director of housing.

A few weeks ago Mary and I were weighing the pros and cons of living on campus. The pros were that we'd be in the middle of the campus culture, we'd meet new friends easily, and the price was right. The cons were that it was almost too small, and that we'd still be throwing money away in rent. Since we still hadn't made a decision, we decided to apply for on-campus housing and see what happened. After the application went through, we were told that we would receive a call about a month before our move-in date (7/22 ro 7/23) to confirm that we had a place there. In other words, they may NOT have a place for us today. In the mean-time we decided to continue to look for off-campus rentals and properties for sale.

Fast forward to today's phone call.

Housing Director [speaking with a perfect southern drawl]: Hello! Is this Adam?

Me: Yes it is.

Housing Director: This is Doug Nalley, the director of housing at Southeastern.

Me: Hi there! How are you?

Housing Director: Doing pretty well. Are you and your wife still homeless and looking for somewhere to live?

Me: Why yes, we sure are!

Housing Director: Well I have good news for you. We've got a place for you in the West Oak Apartments. Unit 370E.

So then the question remains... do we take it, or look for something bigger? After some prayer and talking things out, it looks as though we're going to take it. At least temporarily. If things go well and it looks like we'll be able to afford it, we'll probably look for something to buy come November and possibly move over Christmas break or sometime next summer.

For the time being it looks like our new address will be 370E West Oak Ave. Here's what it looks like empty.

1 month and counting...

2008-06-15T21:50:00.012-04:00

We are in Raleigh this weekend looking for jobs and a home. I can't believe it's been 7 months since we came down to see SouthEastern (SEBTS) and decide if this was where we felt God's call. Well, having made the choice, we are facing even more decisions in the next month.

We left on Thursday night for a long 4 day weekend. Friday, I had an interview for an accounting placement firm and on Monday I have another. Hopefully, one of the two will be able to help me find a permanent position close to Wake Forest.

On Saturday, we met with a husband and wife realtor team from FM Realty. Adam randomly called the office and a woman, Kaye, answered the phone. We set up an appointment to see some rentals and sales. We looked from 10:00AM to 4:00PM and were exhausted by the time it was all said and done. Over the course of the day we discovered they too were Christians. They blessed our meal at lunch, invited us to their church, and even told us they'd be praying for our decision. They weren't pushy by any means, but went above and beyond by showing us properties that weren't even on our list. When I was showing homes, I didn't like to show more than 5 or 6 at a time. We probably looked at 10 to 12 homes. It was overwhelming, but we were limited on our time. We did find a few homes that we LOVED. Two were brand new and the other was built in the late 80's.

This was the one I LOVED.

This is the same size as the one I loved and right next door, but isn't as pretty and doesn't have the covered back patio with ceiling fan.

This is the older one that Adam LOVED. It had old appliances in the kitchen, but huge built in bookshelves in the spare bedroom.

We don't know whether or not we'll rent or buy, but on the way back from looking I got this overwhelming feeling that we should just BE STILL and WAIT ON THE LORD. We can't do anything without jobs anyhow, and we surely wouldn't close until after we plan to move. We have no choice but to wait.

On Sunday we went to church with our realtors to Crossroads Fellowship Church. It was large and the message was good and Biblical, but we still want to check out some other churches before we make a decision.

We'll be headed home tomorrow. Please pray for us over the next few weeks as we make decisions and find jobs.

2008-05-06T11:05:00.001-04:00

The Pillsbury Doughboy died yesterday of a yeast infection and trauma complications from repeated pokes in the belly. He was 71.

Doughboy was buried in a lightly greased coffin. Dozens of celebrities turned out to pay their respects, including Mrs. Butterworth, Hungry Jack, the California Raisins, Betty Crocker, the Hostess Twinkies, and Captain Crunch. The gravesite was piled high with flours.

Aunt Jemima delivered the eulogy and lovingly described Doughboy as a man who never knew how much he was kneaded. Doughboy rose quickly in show business, but his later life was filled with turnovers. He was not considered a very smart cookie, wasting much of his dough on half-baked schemes. Despite being a little flaky at times, he still was a crusty old man and was considered a positive roll model for millions.

Doughboy is survived by his wife Play Dough, three children: John Dough, Jane Dough and Dosey Dough, plus they had one in the oven. He is also survived by his elderly father, Pop Tart.

The funeral was held at 3:50 for about 20 minutes.

Isn't God Amazing?

2008-04-27T19:26:00.004-04:00

This is a praise about a girl we met in 2005 when we were in Wales. She is currently serving God in an amazing way over there using sports ministry. We met her when she was in High School. She's now all grown up and married. We thank God for saving her!

This is from Pastor Bob @ Blaenau Gwent Baptist Church where we served in 2005.

We have much to be thankful especially for the way God's hand was upon Nikki, Brandon's Brigade's schools worker.

Yesterday, Saturday, Nikki was involved in a terrible car accident. As she was travelling down one of our high speed roads Her car hit the curb and guard rail and flipped her car on to its roof. As the roof crushed the windshield exploded throwing glass into Nikki's face. She skidded on the roof into the oncoming lane and was hit by another car.

The fire brigade arrived on the scene equipped to cut the occupants from the car. When they look inside they could not see anyone. Nikki had already climbed out of the window and was standing next to the car belonging to the people who hit her after her car flipped. The people said they had just arrived from Canada and were driving slow getting used to the roads. When they hit her car the impact was barely noticed.

We praise God for the way he protected Nikki. It seems like whenever we step out in Faith to serve God as Nikki is Satan comes after us to discourage or try to prevent us from being used by God.

Although the crash was so terrible there were no cuts or marks on Nikki's face where she was pelted by the broken glass. The only injuries she sustained were a few scrapes on her hand and a little soreness today. Our God is Mighty and we thank and praise Him for protecting Nikki.

Nikki's car is the one laying on its roof.

Please Join me in thanking God for His hand of protection.

Pastor Bob

EXPELLED Movie

2008-03-03T11:01:00.006-05:00

The two previous posts are videos about the upcoming Ben Stein movie Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. I tried to get all three of these posts into one, but I couldn't figure it out so here you go--Four posts in one week. Shocked? So are we...

If you have the time, watch the longer of the two videos below. If you're short on time, watch the short one. If you have any time at all, check out one or both of the following websites:

expelledthemovie.com
getexpelled.com

First of all, I have never considered myself a political activist by any means, no matter how addicted I get to Fox News and no matter how much time I spend reading about the current presidential race.

Second of all, I don't consider the debate between Intelligent Design and evolution to be political. Neither do I consider it to be a matter of science vs. faith. Any debate on the origin of the universe cannot be considered science because the origin of the universe cannot be observed. Evolution cannot be observed becuase it happens too slowly. Intelligent Design cannot be observed because it happened before any of us got on this planet. In other words, no matter what you believe, there's faith involved.

faith [feyth] –noun
1. confidence or trust in a person or thing
2. belief that is not based on proof

As a Christian, there has never been a question of where I stand on this issue; especially considering that the Bible is more historically accurate than many history books. But even if I wasn't a Christian, the evidence is substantially in favor of Intelligent Design. Many people refuse to believe that this is true. They believe that it's just not possible. That's where this film comes in. Watch it, if for nothing else, to be able to defend yourself against evolution more effectively. Watch it so that you have a gateway to a conversation about God. Watch it to know that we aren't alone!

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed - Super Trailer

2008-03-03T11:00:00.003-05:00

EXPELLED Movie - Teaser Trailer

2008-03-03T11:00:00.001-05:00

Biggest Klutz Ever

2008-02-29T17:13:00.002-05:00

I think I just have to be the biggest klutz ever!

Remember when:

I got poison ivy the worst of anyone else on our mission trip this summer
I got a seed STUCK in my ear and had to have an ENT pull it out

How about the latest?

I rolled my ankle in a hole in the parking garage at work. The worst thing is that it's the weirdest injury EVER. I didn't break or sprain it. I loosened the bone fragments in my ankle from a different klutzy fall and the Dr. wants to immobilize the ankle so the fragments won't move around. Who would do that other than me?
Oh yeah, last night, my car ran out of gas about 1000 ft. from a gas station. My cell phone was dead, I didn't have a charger for it, and NO ONE would stop! I had to walk to a nearby store and beg the manager to let me use the phone to make a local call because there was no pay phone. Who needs a pay phone when everyone has cell phones now? HA!

Sorry, I just needed to gripe. I know it doesn't do any good and I have no room to complain all things considered. By the way do you know how hard it is to climb stairs with a big plastic boot on your foot?

GO...PRAY...SHARE

2008-02-22T10:19:00.002-05:00

GO... http://www.cfhusband.blogspot.com/
Pray... for the family
Share... the story with others who will pray too!

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-20T10:01:00.000-05:00

It looks like it's been about a month since our last post from Thanksgiving vacation. WAY too long... sorry about that...

Anyways... As you know, I am a huge airline nerd and I follow quite a few corporate and personal airline blogs. The following post was on Southwest's blog today. It's nice to know that in the middle of all the political correctness of "Happy Holidays" and "Holiday Trees," there is someone out there who's not afraid to talk about their Christmas traditions. Enjoy! Oh, and by the way, with our family, there is no "bad." (See #1 below)

=============

Top 10 Things About The Holiday Season
from Southwest Airlines Blog by Jill Howard-Allen - Manager Business Support Projects

Here are the top 10 things I enjoy most about the Holiday Season….

10. No traffic on my way to work. - OK, a little cheesy, but I can’t get to work any faster than the time right before the Holidays.

9. White Christmases - Yes, I know I live in Phoenix, but the snow still gets me on Christmas.

8. How The Grinch Stole Christmas - Best holiday movie ever. “Given the choice between the two of you, I’d take the uh…seasick crocodile!”

7. Christmas cookies - Sugar cookies and candy cane cookies. OK and just about any other Christmas treat.

6. Lighting a fire in the fireplace - In Phoenix, it sometimes requires you to leave the doors open, but I take it when I can get it.

5. The tree - I don’t think I ever stop and sit quietly unless I’m in front of the Christmas tree. How very cool. (This may be my husband’s favorite thing about the Holiday)

4. Taking a day off in December to go shopping with my three siblings.

3. Christmas music - The Waitresses ‘Christmas Wrapping‘ and Frank Sinatra’s rockin’ version of ‘Jingle Bells‘.

2. Hiding the baby Jesus in the nativity scene until December 25 - A tradition started when I was young at my grandmother’s house and now continued thanks to my sister, Danell, at my house.

1. Family - The good and the bad. They’re all still mine and here to enjoy.

Vacation '07 Day 4

2007-11-20T20:43:00.000-05:00

WOW...so the past few days have just flown by...as vacation always does.

Sunday, we went to a church in Clayton, NC which is about 25 minutes south of Raleigh. We surprised an old high school friend of mine, Patience. You may remember her from recent prayer requests. Her and her husband lost their son in June. He was only 5 months old. It was good to see her and be able to give her a great big hug. I told her we were all still praying for her. She shared some cute stories about sweet little Isaac and we talked for a bit before heading back to Raleigh.

After a quick lunch, we headed to Iatria, a day spa, where we enjoyed a nice couple's massage.

On Monday, we drove through the neighborhoods in Wake Forest. It's a beautiful town and when we drove through the campus, we just fell in love.
This brings us to day 4, Tuesday. We had an "official" campus tour this morning and met with an admissions counselor. They did a good job b/c we're sold! There's a strong possibility that we'll be moving to Wake Forest, NC in about 7 months. We're still praying for God's guidance in our decision. Please pray with us as we begin a new chapter in our lives.

By the way, enjoy the slideshow!

Vacation '07: Day One

2007-11-18T08:47:00.000-05:00

We are so excited that our vacation has finally arrived... we were so excited that we took off right from Mary's work in Bethesda Friday afternoon. After sitting in DC rush hour traffic for about 2 hours or so, we started making pretty good time around 8 pm. We arrived in downtown Raleigh around midnight.

I must say we were a little disappointed in the Days Inn downtown Raleigh. After they put the bed, dresser and TV in, there was hardly any room at all to walk around. Bu

t we were only there to sleep, so I suppose I can't complain too much.

We had a great first day yesterday! We checked in to the Cameron Park Inn Bed and Breakfast around 11:15am. They asked us to be there a bit early because they had somewhere to be. This place is BEAUTIFUL! I haven't seen a speck of dust yet. Our room last night was so cool! It's the only room on the third floor so it has its own little sitting room and even has a cool window seat where Mary sat and knitted. She made a cool little pouch thing for my MP3 player! In Steelers colors of course...

We went to Wal-Mart this afternoon after we checked in, the we ate at this little local pizza shop called the "Mellow Mushroom." It was pretty good. Then we strolled around the shopping center in Cameron Park that's right by our B&B. It was fun... I guess... after that we came back and chilled out in the room for awhile. Lat night we went to a place called Comedy Worx downtown Raleigh. It was a lot like the "Whose Line is it Anyway?" show with Drew Carey. We laughed pretty hard the whole time. We grabbed a quick bite afterward and by then it was time for bed.

Today promises to be pretty eventful... more later tonight...

So busy...

2007-09-19T22:25:00.001-04:00

Sorry I haven't posted anything in like FOREVER!... We have been so busy...

Praise God though, tonight we had 23 different kids at youth group! Our little trailer can't hold too many more than that... if we get much bigger, I'm honestly not sure what we're going to do. God never gives us more than we can fit in our space though, right?... or... wait a minute...

I've also been really busy keeping up with our new youth group blog site... If you want to check it out it's over at http://elvatonyouth.blogspot.com/. Lot of funny stuff there. I post funny videos and pictures and even some pictures from youth group. It's only been up a couple weeks, but right now the kids seem to love it.

Nights like tonight really wear me out though. We don't really have any adults there anymore except Mary and I and our senior high leader (who does a great job, but is herself only 17). I guess I would ask that you pray that God would bring leaders to us who are passionate about forming relationships with MIDDLE SCHOOLERS. I love them so much, but they are SO draining. On nights like tonight when there a ton of kids and not many leaders, I almost feel like I'm running a day care (or evening care) program and that I'm not much more than a babysitter. I know God has my best interest in mind.

On a totally different note, I've been asked to preach in church on Sunday October 14. Pray that I would come up with a relevant message. It will be good to be in front of the congregation again as I will soon be interrogated to receive my preaching license and be licensed by Elvaton. How cool, huh? Just three or four years ago I NEVER thought I would have a preaching license. Whoa. I'll leave you with this verse that has been my stronghold lately:

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the LORD.
"As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

-Isaiah 55:8-9

Boredom ensues...

2007-08-22T00:00:00.000-04:00

Ok, I need to work on my titles... I'm starting to sound more and more like my dad every day... (love ya dad) anyway... Mary is in the computer room working on an online class thing for work that she has to have done by tomorrow, so I am out in the living room on the laptop watching Dave Letterman and being bored.

I suppose i should go to bed, but I'm really not tired. I'm also not looking forward to my two full days of teacher meetings before school starts on Monday.

Need something to read? There's a book out by a guy named Matthew Paul Turner called Beatitude. Mary and I started reading it together a couple weekends ago when we went away to the mountains of western Maryland. It's really easy to read and really gets you thinking.

The first chapter is on peace and draws on the beatitudes as laid out in Matthew 5. Jesus says "Blessed are the peacemakers." Have you ever noticed that our lives seem to have way more conflict than peace in them? If not, turn on the news. Or go to DC and witness a "peace" rally first-hand. From what I've heard, they're not always so peaceful. So is this the kind of peace that Jesus is telling us to make?

Before you answer that question let me tell you this. Many times in the New Testament, the word that is translated "peace" is synonymous with a word that is also translated "wholeness." Mary's going to bed so I'm going to cut this short, but think about this. Some of the most memorable things that Jesus did while on earth were peacemaking things. He cast demons out of people, He calmed the seas, He healed broken bodies and broken hearts. Think about the woman who poured perfume on Jesus' feet or the woman who had many husbands, and Jesus told her that she wasn't condemned and to "Go and sin no more." Imagine the peace that had to come over those women after their encounter with Jesus. To not be weighed down by guilt or rejection anymore. To have a totally new slate! What a relief!

Now I'm not Jesus, and I'm not one to bring wholeness to someone just by saying a couple words to them. But I know a guy who can. Maybe today when we meet someone who doesn't seem to be completely whole, we can introduce them to the "wholeness"-maker Jesus Christ. Maybe, just maybe, that's a little part of what Jesus had in mind when he said, "Blessed are the peacemakers."

Super Mario Brothers

2007-08-16T14:41:00.001-04:00

Must See!

Complexity at it's Finest...

2007-08-06T09:58:00.000-04:00

I love it when life happens the way it has over the last couple of weeks. There hasn't been too much going to and I've had a lot of time to think, mainly about the vast possibility of seminary in the fall of '08, but also about a lot of other things.

In Sunday school this week I taught a lesson on the complexity of God. One definition of complex is this: "so complicated or intricate as to be hard to understand or deal with." Does that describe our God or what? Well, maybe not the hard to deal with part, but definitely the rest of it. Even as far back as the act of Creation, God demonstrated to us His incredibly complex nature. On the first days of Creation, the Bible says that He simply spoke and the heavens and the earth and light and dark were all created. Just His Word, and He made something from nothing. Think about what that says about the power of our God. When you make something, you have materials that you work with. Chefs create meals using utensils and ingredients, artists use canvasses and paint. But God made the earth from nothing. Not that we should be surprised of course, because Hebrews 4:12 tells us that the Word of God "is sharper than any double-edged sword. His word can cut through our spirits and souls and through our joints and marrow, until it discovers the desires and thoughts of our hearts." (CEV) The transcendent and holy nature of God is awe-inspiring!

But then there's the personal and relational nature of God. God spoke the heavens and the earth into existence, but when He created man, this is how He did it:

"Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person." (Gen 2:7 - NLT)

God came down from heaven, scooped up some dirt, formed Adam from the dust (probably much like a sculptor or a potter shapes his masterpiece - see Isaiah 64:8), and breathes life into his nostrils. Kinda makes you think of CPR in a whole new light, huh? But unlike the deists, who believe that God created us and now ignores us, our God longs to have a personal relationship with us. He longs to walk with us on this road of life, which can sometimes be pretty rocky and hard to navigate on our own. His will is not for us to be miserable, but to live life to the fullest! (John 10:10) Just as He was with Adam in the garden, He wants to be with us. In fact, He wants to be with us so much, that He gave up His only Son in order to make that possible.

A friend of Mary's from high school had a baby seven or eight months ago. The baby boy (Isaac) had many health problems and it was soon determined that best option for him was a total heart transplant. Unfortunately with fragile status of his little body, he wasn't strong enough for the doctors to attempt the surgery. His condition improved for a time, but then things began to steadily go downhill. Isaac passed away last night. Please pray for his parents, Patience and Jordan, as they go through this incredibly difficult time. For more info, you can check out their blog at babyleino.blogspot.com.

Imagine the pain that God must have gone through when He chose to give up His only Son to the cross. The pain He must have felt goes beyond human comprehension. But that's how much God loves us. That's how much the God of Moses and Abraham, the same God who parted the Red Sea and saved Daniel from the hungry lions, that's how much He wants to be with you. That's how much he longs to have a personal relationship with you.

These things have been on my heart for the last couple of days and so I thought that I'd share them with you. Again, please pray for Patience and Jordan. You may not, but God DOES know what they're going through. Thanks to that, Isaac is with Jesus right now. Thanks to that, Patience and Jordan will one day be reunited with their son.

Precious Friends...and Babies

2007-07-19T23:36:00.000-04:00

This past week, we've had the opportunity to visit with some old friends. The people God chooses to place in our lives always seems to make me realize how much He loves us. And the times He chooses to put them here is even more evidence of His ultimate wisdom. We got to meet Kaleena Paige Russell this weekend. This precious little baby is the product of two very special friends. Why so special? Well, b/c we never would have met had it not been for the wedding of Brian Russell and Sarah Ackerman 4 years ago. Wanna see the precious baby?

Kaleena, I hope you know how special you are. May you always trust in the fact that you are loved more than you will ever comprehend. You have great parents who care more about your happiness than their own. And a wonderful extended family, might I point out that your Grammy's eyes dance whenever she looks at you.

Brian, thank you for being such a true friend to Adam. Though distance makes it difficult, the firendship is always close. And Sarah, thank you for putting up with all my quirks...even enough to set me up with your husband's best friend...knowing that if and when it worked out, you would see more of me than you ever imagined after graduating from good old AACS. I know that you are a friend to count on as well.

Why am I being all mushy you ask? Well, I DON'T KNOW!!! But it was on my heart, so now it's on your screen. I'll leave you with another precious Kaleena pic...and NO that's not wine!!!

Pittsburgh Project

2007-07-16T18:56:00.000-04:00

We returned a week ago from the Pittsburgh Project mission. It was such an amazing week!!! We had the opportunity to move dirt all week! We passed dirt, I mean mud, in buckets up stairs to build a more even path for this couple to get out their front door. A retaining wall had fallen and mud covered the front stairs leading to the house. Who knows how long it's been since they've used the front entrance to their home. We began work on Tuesday and by Wednesday night we had the stairs uncovered. It was awesome to visit with the homeowner and watch him walk up those stairs. On Thursday we moved parts of a tree that had fallen up against the home and got pretty muddy in the rain. We both came home covered in Poison Ivy, but it was totally worth it to be able to serve God along side of some pretty cool Middle Schoolers.