2012 in Review

..... AND HERE WE ARE!  It's 2013!  Where did 2012 go?!  LOL!  

Let's look at 2012 in pictures to catch up.  :)

January started with a great time of celebration at our home.

In February, Gene & I celebrated our 23rd anniversary with a special weekend in Dallas.  We stayed at the Adolphus hotel, enjoyed the Dallas Symphony Orchestra & had a delicious dinner at III Forks. 

March was a great month for Chad!  He received his first car - an early 18th birthday present.

March was also a great month for Life Tabernacle.  We had record breaking numbers for our Easter service.  It was amazing to watch as people continued to stream in during worship.  What a great thing God is doing in our church!!

In April, we celebrated Sharon's 50th birthday with a surprise party.  How fun was that?!!!

The Ladies of Life annual Tea is always a great event during the Spring months.

In June, we were privileged to be a part of the ordination service for our nephews, Jonathan and Andrew Elms.  Ordination services are always a special time.

We had a homemade ice cream social at Life Tabernacle to celebrate July 4th.  So many flavors of ice cream!!  

The kids loved it!

LIFE outside.... in AUGUST!!!  Due to new flooring being installed in the church building, we had our weekly service outside.  Even in the heat, we felt a sweet presence of God.

Chad turned 18 in August!

Family vacation to San Francisco.  I'm so glad our boys still enjoy vacation for a few days with Dad & Mom!  We had a blast!

General Conference, 2012, St. Louis, MO - it was great having both boys with us this year!

After General Conference, Gene & I enjoyed a few days in Branson with my sisters & brothers-in-law.  Always a time of laughter when we're all together.

Life Tabernacle Fall Blast exceeded all expectations.  We planned for 1000 people - we registered over 1400!!!!  Looking back over previous years, we discovered that in 2008 we had 150 guests attend our Fall Blast!!

November, of course, is Thanksgiving....

And December is Christmas....

There is so much more to fill in - but where to start?  God is blessing Life Tabernacle more than we ever dreamed.  Attendance records are being broken, our city recognizes us wherever we go, doors are opening, lives are being changed.  None of this is to our credit - to God be all the glory!!  We have heard many prophecies throughout the years - we are privileged to watch them come to pass.

Cameron is in his second year at Urshan College.  God is blessing his life and directing his steps.  Chad is a senior at Rider High School and plans to attend Midwestern State University this fall.  He is also following God's leading for his life & is very involved in the student ministries of Life Tabernacle.

I can't wait to see what 2013 holds.  Maybe, just maybe, I'll get back to this blog before 2014!!  But if not, know that we are living in the blessings of God & experiencing harvest in Life Tabernacle!

December, 2011

Christmas has come & gone. 2012 is just around the corner.

I wonder what this year will bring?

So many exciting things have happened in the past 3 1/2 years. I can't wait to see what's in store for us as a family and for Life Tabernacle this year.

Who will the new faces belong to at Life this year?

What will I do with this year?

What will I be writing about in 12 months?

Where will God take us?

How many lives will be touched through me?

How will I accomplish the things I want to accomplish?

There's no time to waste - 2011 has been a fantastic year - but it seemingly flew by. We must begin 2012 with determination to make things happen this year. We can't wait to get settled in to a new year - the time is now! What will you do with your life?

November!! 2011?!!!

Can it really be that November 1, 2011, is only two days away?! Where did the rest of this year go? Seriously!!

While at General Conference this year,

I had someone tell me we needed to start blogging again. I've also seen other blogs that I follow picking up on their postings, so I thought I might give it another try. At least I can give an update on our lives for now. :0)

Chad is a Junior at Rider High School this year.

I can't believe our "baby" only has one more year of high school! I KNOW this doesn't mean anything about our age - it just means the boys are getting older. LOL!

Cameron finished his first year at Midwestern State University in May.

Sometime earlier this year he felt God was leading him to Bible College, so he began his first year at Gateway College of Evangelism in August.

Though we miss him at home, we are happy to know he is following God's leading in his life.

Life Tabernacle is rockin'!!! So thankful to be part of a church that wants to move forward and see what God will do in our community.

Tabernaculo de Vida is growing & seeing God do mighty things in their midst. We have three other preaching/teaching points started & we're looking at some others. It's amazing what happens when people begin to catch the vision of God's plan!

We did some decorative updates to our living room a few months ago.

I LOVE the new look .....

..... AND still LOVE my chair!!

Then... my family is all coming to Wichita Falls for Thanksgiving. We haven't been together for a holiday since my parents passed away, so we are all really excited. I'll try to remember to post some pictures when all the festivities are over.

And... there you have it. Our lives in a nutshell.

New Thru 30

Tonight while reading in Romans I came across some scriptures that seemed to jump out at me. A couple weeks ago, we began a concentrated effort to read the New Testament in 30 days. This has been an exciting time - following the life of Jesus through the four gospels, then the book of Acts - WOW! - and now the letters from Paul. I won't go into any explanation of what this particular passage said to me - I just want you to read it for yourself.

Romans 12:4-21 MSG

4 In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. 5 The body we're talking about is Christ's body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn't amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ's body, 6 let's just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren't.

If you preach, just preach God's message, nothing else; 7 if you help, just help, don't take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; 8 if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don't get bossy; if you're put in charge, don't manipulate; if you're called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don't let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face.

9 Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. 10 Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle. 11 Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, 12 cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder. 13 Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality. 14 Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. 15 Laugh with your happy friends when they're happy; share tears when they're down. 16 Get along with each other; don't be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don't be the great somebody. 17 Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone. 18 If you've got it in you, get along with everybody. 19 Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. "I'll do the judging," says God.

"I'll take care of it."

20 Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he's thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. 21 Don't let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.

Sad Day

Today we said goodbye to our 13 1/2 year old schnauzer - Cookie. She's been with us since Cameron was almost 6 & Chad was almost 3. She was a wonderful pet and brought a lot of love and laughter to our home. She will be missed.

Christmas & the End of 2010

Christmas, 2010, another great year.

Many great celebrations with our family and with the Life Tabernacle family. God has been good to us!!!

So.... here we are. Another year has come and gone. I am really amazed when I think we are this far into the 2000's!!! 2011?!!! Really?!!! What will this year bring? Who will be married? Engaged? Having a baby? How many will come to know the life-changing power of Jesus Christ? How will we have to adjust our Christmas celebrations next year - because of the growth of Life Tabernacle? Such exciting possibilities await!!!!!

What will you do to make 2011 a different year for you?

Dreams DO Come True!

I have dreamed for many years of New York City. This year, that dream came true. On November 22, our family took off for seven full days in the city.

I'll admit I was a little nervous. You hear so many stories about watching your surroundings, staying safe, not getting on the wrong subway, etc. BUT... I never once felt unsafe or uncomfortable. It was an awesome experience.

We enjoyed so many wonderful sights and adventures:

Times Square

The Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island

The Empire State Building

Central Park - it was amazing how quiet and peaceful it could be in the midst of such a huge city.

Phantom of the Opera. Oh my word!!! Incredible how the actors and musicians flow so well. I was in awe that everything was LIVE!

We spent Thanksgiving morning at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade then enjoyed a fabulous dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. It was SO good!!!

There's too much to name!! I was completely enthralled with Times Square. The lights, signs, sounds, people - all of it fascinated me. All of the history in New York City is amazing. We saw where George Washington was sworn in as the first President, Wall Street & the New York Stock Exchange, and Ground Zero.

We made many memories on this trip - I'm so thankful we were able to share this week as a family.

Lovin' Life

You know, when you stop for a moment to reflect on life, you'll find that most days are completely enjoyable. I'm so thankful for the friends and family in my life. God always knows exactly what we need - when we need it. He knows what friends we need - when we need them. He knows when our family will be the only ones who truly understand us - and let's them be there for those moments. I love my life!!! I've said that on Facebook several times, but I really do.

General Conference was in Houston this year. I wasn't too excited for the location, but I was very excited about conference and getting to spend time with my sisters. I was not disappointed.

There were some great services, we got to be with great friends and family, AND the weather turned out perfect for that week!! This was Cameron & Chad's first time to be at General Conference. It was fun having them there.

We had a family lunch on Thursday - it was a total blast! The guys ended up doubled over in laughter - I'm SO glad our boys were there to be a part of this time together!!!

My mother always loved General Conference - she loved the services, she loved seeing her friends, and she loved being with her family. I guess I'm just a chip off the old block. LOL!

Gene & I decided to go to the State Fair of Texas this year. He had never been, and I haven't been since I was a teenager. We had a great time with friends, Jason & Julie Ouellette.

There's just nothing like good friends....

....AND good food!!

At the end of October, we had our first annual Ladies of Life Retreat.

(Sharon actually went - so I HAD to share this picture!!)

What a blessing it turned out to be! Our guest speaker was Debbie Saiz from California. She spoke straight to our hearts both Friday night and Saturday morning. I never want to forget "my attitude is the paintbrush that colors my world." And I will continually strive to be a Proverbs 31 woman. God's presence was there in a mighty way.

Of course, there is always much laughter and fun and bonding time when ladies get together.

We are now in the midst of Forty Days of Fire. God is meeting with us in very special ways. Last Sunday night Gene felt to have a prayer line for the needs of those in the service. As the ministers and wives prayed for those coming through the line, you could feel such an awesome presence of God. We are already beginning to see prayers answered this week.

This Sunday we have our annual Kids Fun Fest. Last year we had over 400 visitors! Our prayer is that as these families come to the church for fun, they will feel a difference from anywhere else they've been.

Next week, we welcome back Evangelist Mike Easter. We had a wonderful time with him last year, and we are excited to see what God has in store for this revival week.

As we go through these exciting times at Life Tabernacle, family life also continues. Chad has picked up playing golf and is doing a great job. He gets his license tomorrow!!!

Cameron is halfway through his first semester of college and is really enjoying his job. And we are all gearing up for our vacation to New York. So excited!!!

So.... life continues.... almost faster than I can keep up with. Thanksgiving is 3 weeks away. Christmas is something like 56 days away. And then we begin a New Year. I love finding joy in all of it!

Seriously?!!! NINETEEN?!!!!

How is this even possible?

It was only yesterday I was in the hospital waiting on the arrival of our first little bundle of joy. I'm SURE it was only yesterday - or at the most a few weeks ago!!!

Hmm.... the word "little" is relative here.

Cameron weighed in at 9 lbs. 12 oz. He was no where near as big as I was at birth, but everyone was amazed at his size. LOL!

So, Cameron, today you are 19.

One more year of the teens left.

Two more years and you are a true adult in the eyes of the world.

You have brought many days of joy to our life.

We are extremely proud of the accomplishments you have made throughout your life - graduating with honors, becoming an accomplished musician, leading worship at Tabernaculo de Vida -

and in the last few weeks -

college and your first "real" job.

God truly has His hand on your life. We are proud to be your parents!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! WE LOVE YOU!!