The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.
This is an incredible week. I am enjoying time with my mom and dad as well
as my two brothers. What a huge blessing
it is be able to spend time away from my home in Virginia and know that all is
taken care of while I am away.
Because of my absence, some excitement, and wanting
you to pray, I want you to hear this special announcement …
This coming Sunday at The Community Fellowship we
will have a special guest speaking that you will be surprised by. My lovely and awesome wife, Julie, will be
speaking. Yes, you heard me right. Julie Harrison will be sharing a message with
our church family from her heart as we close out our series YourVerse.
Please be praying for Julie as she prepares for
Sunday and as she shares. I am so
excited about this. But I also ask our
church family to flat fill the church up.
My Julie is an incredible lady that will bless you, encourage you and
help you see how the Scripture has taken her life and our family to a new
level.
I am missing Julie and our kids big time (other than
our oldest daughter Rebecca who is traveling with me this week). I believe that The Community is going to be
in “overflow mode” this Sunday, and no one needs to miss this.
Most of you know that my mom has been in a
nursing/rehab center since she broke her ankle almost 5 months ago. It has been a struggle and very difficult
time for my mom and our family. This
week I have been blessed to spend some time with mom, and yesterday she even
took her first car ride in 4 and 1/2 months.
Saturday we all be attending my niece Quincy’s wedding, and my mom will
be there and most likely crying with the rest of us.
I promised you stories. I guess I will keep my promise.
Quincy is the youngest of my brother’s children as I
am the youngest in our family. I really
have always thought that the baby of the family is the most special child of
all. You would agree, I am sure. My brothers say that I was spoiled which
could not be further from the truth.
When I was very young, I didn’t have my own room. My parents would tell you that I would wait
till late in the evening to see which brother I wasn’t mad at that I would
sleep with that night. I would tell you
that all I had was a closet in the hallway that was mine. Poor Michael, right?
On another occasion at the same house as I was 4 or 5
years old my oldest brother was playing baseball with some of his friends in
our front yard. I was pestering him (I
didn’t do that much). I kept begging him
to let me play in our mom’s car, an old white four door Ford. He let me in the car. By the way, our drive way was steep, and the
car was parked at the top of the driveway.
Before long the old Ford ended up inside part of the garage without the
garage door being opened and on some of the front porch. Someone said that I jumped out of the car and
said, “can I do that again?”
There are some stories for you. I like to reminisce and even to drive around
the town I loved in growing up and see all the changes, but what I really enjoy
most are the people who have held my heart all these years. My parents, my brothers and I have been
through a lot. Heart attack of dad in
the early 80’s. Knee surgery for
mom. Car wrecks. Wild sons.
Death of grandparents. Troubles
at churches we attended. Struggles in
school, especial for me in elementary school.
Health problems and more. But we
have each other.
I am grateful for my family back home in Virginia,
but what an honor and blessing it is to spend some time with this great family
of my origin. Please keep on praying for
my mom as she gets stronger. Pray for my
niece and her soon to be husband, Nick.
Pray for Julie as she preaches on Sunday at The Community. And finally, I challenge you to cherish and
spend time with your family!
Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill
the requirements of God’s law.
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