New Puppy...for one day!

Erin and I saw this little puppy peeking out of a culvert on our street Friday afternoon. She went to get her and discovered this little one was not only thirsty and hungry and because of the 100 degree heat she may not have made it another day.

Richard and I agreed to house her for the weekend but under no circumstances were we going to keep her. Erin named her Regal and we all had a little lovin' from this SWEET puppy. On Friday night when the kids were in bed and Regal woke up in her box, Richard almost caved when she snuggled up on his neck. On Saturday we took him to Erin's swimmeet and it was about an hour before another family adopted her and her bag of Puppy Chow Richard had bought.

Nine hours...the perfect amount of time to have a puppy in the house.

Valentine's Day

We don't go on dates often, and almost never out of town. I'm so thankful for a man who wants to be romantic even when we're over 40 and VERY BUSY. I worked 5 days out of town and he still planned to take me to dinner to a very cool restaurant in Fort Smith. I love this man.

CHANGING JOBS

In 1999 Richard knew he was to give up his corporate job, corporate insurance and job security with a company he decided he wanted to work for since college and go into the ministry. Our young family had also invested our retirement building a C-store/TCBY. Our church was transitioning from downtown First Baptist to re-located large family church. There were those who didn't like this change and the transition was both a physical and spiritual battle. It was a time of trying but also a time of knowing that God was in control and He had blessed our pastor with vision and strength to endure. The first time Richard's new position of Administrator/Minister of Education was voted on it failed. People we've never seen before came to a business meeting, insisted we didn't need a new church, much less a new position, and also argued his salary and the fact he had a large family. I'll never forget that night when several men from the church came to our house to say they knew this was the right thing and we just needed to hang in there. Richard had already quit his job at Tyson, our new store wasn't producing any income, just demanding funding. Church friends and the sale of a piece of property we had purchased carried us through several lean months. Richard joined the FBC staff full-time in October 2000.

Richard oversaw the building of our present church building and we moved in it November 4, 2001. He spearheaded 3 stewardship campaigns, small groups, was the interim youth minister and helped lead music while we were short a music minister. He was on the search committee for two of our present staff members, the board that began our Pre-School, handled all of our finances, benevolence and support staff for the better part of 12 years. On the side he has been an ordained deacon and elder, taught numerous Sunday School classes and small groups of all ages.

This year he has taken on a new challenge. He is a church consultant with Horizons Stewardship Company. It's a great opportunity to work with pastors as their encourager and their confidant as they are growing in their ministries. He's had over 12 years experience being a #2 and supporting a pastor. His administration, financial and management experience combined with his love for the local church give him a good balance to help these churches.

He also works two days a week with Rhea Lana's Inc. talking to prospective franchisees and doing some administrative work for RL.

He now works at home and he travels, and it's never the same each week! We're at home, but he's on the phone, he's at his new office setup in our bedroom, or he's answering emails from church leaders all over! He's loving the challenge and the variety and I'm thankful for his renewed energy and excitement.

Most people in our church don't know what Richard did on staff. They knew he was on staff but unless they needed something he was in charge of, they didn't even know he wasn't on staff since August! In October several precious friends who did know his work hosted a lunch in honor of him after church. Richard didn't much feel like this was a good idea, but went along with their plans. His time at FBC was honoring to the Lord, I know some of the things he had to handle that were not encouraging, were full of conflict and were just plain hard. I know he has been faithful, a hard-worker and a servant for the Lord first. I'm thankful for the time he was able to work there and I pray his legacy will be one of faithful service.

10-10-92

Richard and I have been married for 19 years! I have loved him for half of my life. (This fact blows my mind!)

I have so many friends who aren't in love with thier spouse and I truly hate that for them. I want my children to find the perfect mate for them when it's time. Here are my keys to finding THE ONE:

1. The person you want to marry makes you want to be better in every area of your life. They don't do this by the words they say, but by the kind of person they are. DO NOT marry someone to change them, this is a TERRIBLE IDEA.

2. The person you want to marry is a person you can laugh with. OFTEN. Laughing, smiling and having a good time in the most mundane times of the day is essential. You don't have to watch crude commedians, go to concerts or big events to laugh. Laughing should be part of driving, talking, and everyday conversations.

3. The person you want to marry is a person you can trust. You don't test this on the first date, this is a track record of times of keeping a secret, not embarrassing you, keeping their word, doing what they say they will do. It cannot be measured in a short amount of time. If you can't trust someone, you don't give them your heart.

4. A person you want to marry honors their family. It's true what they say about how a guy treats his mother, but it's also true that if they can't get along with their family, they won't get along with yours. There is no way to not bring this conflict into the rest of your life. It's not a matter of what kind of people their parents and siblings "are" or what their family "has done", it's a matter of how they treat/honor/respect their parents or siblings.

5. The person you want to marry should not be selfish. Yes, this eliminates 90% of all humans. A person you want to marry should not be characterized by selfishness. Time, possessions, emotions, trust, and love are all to be shared freely without conditions. BEWARE of those who are on their absolute best behavior during dating. They should be, but it may not be their real nature. You can only test this one over time.

6. Become the person you are trying to attract. If you want someone trustworthy, be someone who is faithful and trustworthy. If you want someone who honors their family, honor yours. If you want someone who is not selfish, evaluate those things in your life that you hold onto a little tight.

7. You MUST know what things are NON-NEGOTIABLE in your life and in your future mate's. Having a mate that loved God was a non-negotiable for me. I couldn't tell this overnight by attendance at church, having a Bible or wearing a tie on Sunday. It takes time to make sure the NON-NEGOTIABLES are true in another person's life. This list of NON-NEGOTIABLES will help keep those who aren't going to be "the one" from getting into your heart before you spend a lot of emotions on them.

Is there more? Of course! I pray often that my children will seek God more than their mate so that He can lead them to THE BEST He has for them. It's not an area they want to make a mistake in! I'm so very thankful for God's DIVINE INTERVENTION to bring Richard into my life. Richard had lots of other choices, and I'm sure I would've made huge mistakes if He hadn't kept me busy in college. THANK YOU GOD for the gift of my husband. Happy Anniversary Richard!

 

Happy Birthday Richard

Happy Birthday Richard!

I love this man. He works hard and he plays hard.

The man knows how to have fun! He is also tender-hearted and wise at the same time. He cares about the difficult things of the world and isn't afraid to stand up for what is right. He is gentle when needed and tough when it is required. He loves his family entirely unselfishly. He is not lazy. He provides not only for us physically, but emotionally and spiritually. He is a strong rock for our family and when he is away we all feel it. He is sincere:

"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."
Romans 12: 9-12

Counting my blessings...