As most of you know we just moved to Tulsa, OK. We've been here almost a month now. We absolutely love it here. Our journey to today has been a long one. It started way back in March.
In March of this year we had just finished up the building process at Faith in Joplin, and we were getting ready to have our Open House and Dedication service.
It was a very high time in our life, in a course of many up and downs. Our piano player's son and his family were there, from Southwest Baptist in Tulsa, for our services. He pulled Brian aside and was asking him if he knew anybody that was looking for an associate pastor position. Brian told him no, he didn't at that time. Brian wasn't even really looking, he had his heart set on pastoring as his next position. Any way, Bro. Avery told Brian to keep his eyes and ears open and if he heard or thought of anybody to let them know. Brian assured him he would and we went on.
Between then and July some phone calls had been exchanged between our pastor and Bro. Lyndel Hix (the pastor at Southwest Baptist in Tulsa) about Brian. Bro. Hix finally called Brian the beginning of July and set up a meeting. They met on July 15; basically just to officially meet. We had met Bro. Hix during the clean up process at the church. He was there at the dedication service at Faith, but we didn't really "know" him or he us. So they talked about what we believe, what they believe, what Brian's goals/plans were. And things of that sort.
Brian and I talked a lot about the prospect of moving away from Faith. Brian was very torn. He had so much vested in the physical, building aspect of the church. He had quit his job in Aug. of 2011 to rebuild the parsonage and the church. The church paid him wages this whole time and in March 2013, the church stopped paying him full time so he had to find another job. He went looking for a job, and the first day he went out, God gave him a job, and he started the very next day. He went to work at a farm making and selling feed. It was not what he wanted to do at all, but that's life. So, the thought of being full time at a church again was very appealing.
BUT, it wasn't as a pastor, which is what he so badly wanted to be doing. But he considered it a stepping stone.
We didn't hear anything from Bro. Hix or anyone from the church until late Aug. We had really began to think they didn't want to consider us for the position. But Bro. Hix called and set up for us to come down Aug. 25, and visit, and meet some of the people. It was a very informal visit, and he made sure we knew we weren't coming in view of a call. Brian got to preach and the family sang. We had a very nice time, and thought the people were very nice and friendly. I loved the church and the people from that Sunday. We knew Bro. Hix and his wife were going to be gone for the next two weeks on vacation so we didn't figure we would hear anything before that. Late Sept. he called and Brian went to meet with the deacons for a question/answer session. After that it was a week or so, I guess, then one night Bro. Hix called and told Brian the position was his if he wanted it. Brian came home and told me. We had already talked quite a bit about it through the whole waiting period, so we were already confident with our decision. Brian called him back the very next morning and accepted the position, and I began packing.
In the process of packing, and Brian working, we would come down on Monday's to look for a house. I was very discouraged our first trip when we found nothing. UGH! Brian felt good about the trip, because he learned a lot about the lay out of the city. We came down again to look around, and still nothing, but we did find a community we would love to live in, so that's where we started looking. Our next trip down, we got to stay for a couple days. We were able to make appointments to see houses. We had an apt to see a house with a property manager and she never showed up. So, I called her and she gave me the key code to get into the house. So, we let ourselves in to look at the house. I almost cried. I just KNEW this is the house God had for us. I had been praying that we would know the house when we found it, the kids would like it, it would be in a nice neighborhood, the bedrooms would be big enough, and everything would just work out perfectly. It did. As it always does.
Now that we had a house, we had to finish packing up our house in Sarcoxie, and get moved. Brian was worried about moving expenses. Truck rental, first months rent and all the deposits. When it was all said and done, the church paid for the truck rental and our house deposit, which was a HUGE blessing.
We moved on Brice's 12th birthday, the 17th of Oct. (I'm sure it will be one he will always remember.) It took us ALL DAY to load the truck. The kids worked harder than they have probably ever worked. We stayed the night at my parents and headed to OK on Friday. We got here about 10:00 or so and the lady wasn't here with the keys to let us in. So, we had to wait till about noon. But after we got the keys we unloaded the truck, which only took about 3 hrs, compared to the 24 it took to load it. And we were settling in. Brian unloaded the whole truck in the garage and we just unpacked one box at a time, which was nice not having to wade through rooms of boxes.
Today, for the most part, we are pretty much settled in. Things are moving like "normal". (nothing is ever normal) We took a week off school, but we are back up and going with school again, and the kids are doing well.
Brian is enjoying his days at the church. He has had a lot of time to read and study, and do things he hasn't been able to do in years. This week he is working on remodeling the kitchen in the gym. He is enjoying that.
I am happier than I have been in quite some time. I am thankful for the blessings God has poured out on us. I'm thankful for him putting us right here, right now. It couldn't be better. We all love living in our little community. We love living so close to everything. We are 1 mile from the biggest Wal-Mart Supercenter in OK. We are about 2-3 miles from Tulsa Hills Shopping Center, which has all your stores like, Target, Ross, Marshalls. It's so nice to have shopping places just minutes away, instead of having to drive half hour to get anywhere.
I will try to write more soon. I want to tell you all about the town we live in and the things we have already done since we've been here, and some of the friends we have made.
Talk to you soon!
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Monday, April 29, 2013
What is this world coming to?
We went to Springfield last night to pick up Courtney from a friends house and on the way home Brian was listening to the radio. The hourly news came on and I was barely listening to it, but then something caught my attention. They were talking about a bill out of TX that would allow physicians to make the call whether a patient should be resuscitated or not, without previous consent from the patient or a family member. It would be the doctors call, based on whether death was eminent or whether there would be no point to revive the patient due to the quality of life being less than fulfilling. SERIOUSLY??? When did Dr.'s become God. Brian said, "That is nothing more than euthanasia, and that is our great "Obama-Care" at work. As I sat there listening to this news story, I told Brian it is getting to the point you don't want to go to the hospital or the Dr. You never know what they are going to give you or if they are even going to "allow" you to live.
Then today, I was on FB and saw this post telling about a couple losing their 5 month old baby to Child Services for wanting a second opinion on his health care. Read the story here. Do we not have ANY control over what goes on in our lives and the lives of our families? It's getting very scary out there.
Another instance of how little control we actually have. I was talking to a friend of mine just yesterday and she was sharing with me that they will be pulling their son out of public school because he came home asking about a class they had. Unbeknownst to the families of the children, the school held a diversification class to teach all these first grade kids about all the different kinds of families that are in our world today. It is normal for a family to have 1 mom or dad or even 2 moms or 2 dads. When one little girl spoke up and said her mommy says marriage is only between 1 man and 1 woman, the teacher told her, "Well, your mommy is wrong." UGH!!!!! When the families of these children got together and asked the teachers why they weren't given a warning of this class and a chance to opt their child out, the response was that this is not optional, the kids need to know of all the different types of families and the way the world works.
Just with these 3 instances, it is coming to the point we are losing our freedoms.
1. To feel safe in a hospital. We don't know whether the doctor is going to decide were not worth keeping.
2. If we take our kids to the doctor and decide we want a second opinion, will our child get taken away from us, because the doctors "know better than we do".
3. We don't have the freedom to teach our kids what we believe, and what the Bible says, without someone coming in and telling them differently and trying to tell them what we have told them is wrong.
(Prime example why I keep my kids at home)
I'm not a political person. I do vote. I do have my opinions. I'm just not vocal about a lot of my opinions unless provoked. I know what I'm willing to fight for. I'm not foolish, or naive. I know what is going on in the world, sometimes I just choose not to acknowledge it for my own sanity's sake. I know we are in the end times, but the Lord doesn't tell us how much we are going to have to go through before he returns to get us. He only tells us he will never give us more than we can bare. So, how much more will we have to go through, and how bad will this world actually get before he comes back to get us?
I guess this is just a "random rambling". Thoughts that our on my heart and mind today.
Dixie
Then today, I was on FB and saw this post telling about a couple losing their 5 month old baby to Child Services for wanting a second opinion on his health care. Read the story here. Do we not have ANY control over what goes on in our lives and the lives of our families? It's getting very scary out there.
Another instance of how little control we actually have. I was talking to a friend of mine just yesterday and she was sharing with me that they will be pulling their son out of public school because he came home asking about a class they had. Unbeknownst to the families of the children, the school held a diversification class to teach all these first grade kids about all the different kinds of families that are in our world today. It is normal for a family to have 1 mom or dad or even 2 moms or 2 dads. When one little girl spoke up and said her mommy says marriage is only between 1 man and 1 woman, the teacher told her, "Well, your mommy is wrong." UGH!!!!! When the families of these children got together and asked the teachers why they weren't given a warning of this class and a chance to opt their child out, the response was that this is not optional, the kids need to know of all the different types of families and the way the world works.
Just with these 3 instances, it is coming to the point we are losing our freedoms.
1. To feel safe in a hospital. We don't know whether the doctor is going to decide were not worth keeping.
2. If we take our kids to the doctor and decide we want a second opinion, will our child get taken away from us, because the doctors "know better than we do".
3. We don't have the freedom to teach our kids what we believe, and what the Bible says, without someone coming in and telling them differently and trying to tell them what we have told them is wrong.
(Prime example why I keep my kids at home)
I'm not a political person. I do vote. I do have my opinions. I'm just not vocal about a lot of my opinions unless provoked. I know what I'm willing to fight for. I'm not foolish, or naive. I know what is going on in the world, sometimes I just choose not to acknowledge it for my own sanity's sake. I know we are in the end times, but the Lord doesn't tell us how much we are going to have to go through before he returns to get us. He only tells us he will never give us more than we can bare. So, how much more will we have to go through, and how bad will this world actually get before he comes back to get us?
I guess this is just a "random rambling". Thoughts that our on my heart and mind today.
Dixie
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
More Birthdays!
In my last post, I said I would be sharing Brice and Carrie's Birthdays, sooo, here they are.
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| All she asked for was clothes for her Ken doll. |
Girls Being Silly! 
I think everyone had a good time!
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Brice's birthday was on a Wednesday, so we had his "shin-dig" on Friday evening. He got his present on Wed. night after church though. He got a Lego, Star Wars, Yoda watch. He Loves It!
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| He LOVES Star Wars! |
♪♫Happy Birthday to You! Happy Birthday to You!♫♪
Brice, Courtney, Manny, Ashley, Carrie, & Bret
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