Whooooooo'll Be A Friend to Jesus

We had a dinner for my nephew, Michael, last Saturday.  He is leaving for the Navy in October.  

 Lasagna and garlic bread was on the menu, followed by cake and ice cream, a couple hands of UNO, a little dirt bike riding, and fireworks.  Of course, Uncle Bruce got scared the cops would come so they cut the fireworks a little short.  haha

 We'll miss Mikey!  And we love him very much.  I know he'll do our country proud and I pray God's hand of protection on him while he is away.

~~~~~
Mom was able to attend church Sunday morning.  That was a blessing.  And then Monday night, she was able to attend our ladies meeting.  The theme was "Whooooooo'll Be A Friend to Jesus?"  Obviously our decorations were centered around Owls.  It was so cute!

The little girls did a skit on who could be your friend.  It was precious and had us ladies giggling through the whole thing.

Missy and Linda did a skit on finding a friend also.  And, as usual, they had us laughing.

Our speaker was Mrs. Betty Upton.  She has been a friend of our church for many years and it was a blessing to hear her speak.  She has a sweet spirit about her. 

 We were also privileged to hear her sing for us.  She has a beautiful voice and we enjoyed listening to her sing. 

I'm thankful for my Pastor's wife who is always looking for something to uplift, encourage, motivate, and stir our ladies.  She has a vision and goes for it.  I appreciate all the hard work I know she and others put into our meeting.  It was a lot of fun, great fellowship, and just what I needed! 
~~~~~
Today is Wednesday and we'll be heading to church shortly.  I want to say Thank you to our friend, Mrs. Velda, for coming to stay with mom on Wed nights so I could attend mid-week service.  That has been a blessing.  Mom is more mobile now and getting back into the groove of going back to church.  It's good to have her being able to go.

Labor Day

Happy Labor Day everyone!  Hope you're having a good time wherever you might be. 

My day was spent... well... laboring.  I started with laundry and, of course, will probably end with it too.  Can I get a witness?  I cleaned out the fridge, which is probably the worlds most dreaded chore in the house.  Cleaned the bathrooms, stripped and remade beds, swept and mopped floors, ran the vacuum, cooked breakfast, made lunch, and now I'm sitting here with mom watching, yet another, STARGATE episode.

Can I tell you a secret?  I'm not much of a tv watcher and I really, REALLY despise Science fiction along these lines.  But my mother loves it.  And my darling brother, John, was ever so nice to bring her nine...yes, NINE...seasons of STARGATE.  Little aliens, crazy lookin' creatures in togas talking funny, and people with gold emblems on their forehead kind of grow on you after a while.  But, oh dear me... LOL 

Our Sunday School class was doing some shooting today, followed by some hamburgers and hot dogs.  I know they are having a great time over there.  Justin came by to pick Harrison up and that totally made Harrison's day.  He likes being over here at Maw Maw's house, but he sure has missed being with his friends.  I know he'll have a great time at the party because two of his best friends are there.

I had a photo shoot with Kelsey Saturday.  She's been married little over two months and decided to do her bridal shoot after the wedding.  Which is a pretty good idea, actually.  You don't have to worry about having the dress cleaned before the wedding.  And she would have needed it cleaned for sure.  Here are a couple of pics from that shoot.  We did her pictures at Belmont Abbey College.

After the shoot, Kelsey and her mom took me to Cheddar's for lunch.  It was my first time there and it was very good.  I ordered the Hawaiian Chicken Sandwich.  It was nice of them to do that and I enjoyed the time of fellowship we had.

Bruce stayed with mom so I could go to Sunday School and morning worship yesterday.  It was wonderful being back in class and back in choir!  I have missed it so much!  I am thankful beyond words for my church and church family.  And for good friends like Velda, who give up their Wednesday evenings so I can go to church.  Of course, she'll tell you she doesn't feel like she's giving anything up.  She has that kind of spirit about her.  She loves mama and enjoys staying with her.  That means so much to me!

I am blessed.

"All Filled Up"

Last week was the annual Ladies meeting at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Mooresboro, NC.  The pastor's wife, Mrs. Dana Wagner, had called back in May and asked if I would speak that day.  I told her I would and so that's what I did last weekend. 
If you've never been to this meeting, you should ask to be put on their emailing list.  We have a good time!

There was a great group of ladies from my home church that was there, but a few didn't get to make it.  So I told them I would post my notes here at Thimble Thoughts.

The theme for the meeting this year was All Filled Up.  We heard wonderful lessons from Angie Buff, a very sweet lady from there at Cornerstone, Mrs. Cindy Owen, who never fails to deliver lots of laughter and good food for thought from the Word, and Mrs. Frances Simpson, the Pastor's wife of Brother Ronnie Simpson of Bright Light Baptist in Concord, NC.

Mrs. Dana and the ladies at Cornerstone worked tirelessly on this meeting.  They do every year.  It was very much a blessing, and very much needed!

Since the theme was All Filled Up, I chose to do an acrostic on the word full.  F-U-L-L. 

F -- FAITHFUL.  But not as in the faithful we first think of.  Not as in being faithful in something.  But faithful as in FULL of faith. 
Luke 5 says that when Jesus told Simon to launch out into the deep and let down his NETS for a draught, Simon was not faithful...or FULL OF FAITH.  He said in verse 5, "Master, we have toiled all the night and have taken nothing; NEVERTHELESS at thy word, I will let down the net." 
We see here that Simon is of little faith because Jesus told him to let down the NETS (plural).  But Simon only let down the NET (singular).  You know the rest of the story...There were so many fish they broke the net! And that's when it happened for Simon Peter.  He realized his little faith and he dropped to his knees and cried, "Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord." 
When I read those words, the Holy Ghost began to squeeze my heart to tears because I was not faithful...or full of faith...during that time when my mother was in the terrible facility she was in and I could not understand why He wasn't getting her out of there.  But He sent conviction on me when I read this passage.  It was a sin for me not to trust my God.  The God of Heaven and earth.  The God who created the sun, moon, and stars. 
Was moving my mother such a difficult task for Him?  No.  But my lack of faith in Him sure did get in His way.  Are you faithful...or full of faith...in the very God that holds your breath in His hands?

U--ULTRAPOWERFUL.  That's right.  Full of Power!  There's really only one way to be ULTRApowerful and that is to be filled with the power of the Holy Ghost!  When you are filled with Him, you have the power to overcome and face the trials and tribulations that Satan throws your way. 
Where does spiritual power come from?  I can tell you where it doesn't come from.  It doesn't come from the world.  And it certainly doesn't come from unbelief and lack of faith.  As a matter of fact, it's the exact opposite.  In order to be ULTRApowerful, we must believe in the One who fills us with His power. 
John 1:12 "But as many as received Him, to them gave He POWER to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name!"  Once we believe and become that child of God, Acts 1:8 says, "But ye shall receive POWER, after that the HOLY GHOST is come upon you:"  With that kind of power, you can pray a marriage back together, a wayward child home, an overdue bill paid, the devil off your Pastor's family and your mother out of a terrible nursing facility!
Not only do you have the power of prayer, but you also have the power of praise!
Remember Paul and Silas?  They were bound in prison when they began singing praises to the LORD.  God turned their situation around because of those praises.  The prison guard was about to kill himself, thinking Paul and Silas had fled, but realizing they were still there, he fell down on his knees and got saved! 
There is POWER in praise.  Are you ULTRApowerful?  Being ultrapowerful means you can overcome adversity and face the trials that meet you and greet you on a daily basis.  But you will never overcome anything unless you are filled with the power of the HOLY GHOST.  And in order to be filled with that power, you must accept Christ as your Savior.

L -- Ladleful.  When I think of a ladle, I always picture Charles Ingles standing at the saw mill sipping from a ladle at the water bucket.  When I think of a ladle, I also think of a cup.  I Corinthians 10:21 says, "Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils; ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table and of the table of devils."  What is filling your ladle?  Are you drinking of the fountain that never runs dry? Is your ladle filled with that sweet, refreshing water that only comes from God?  Or is your ladle filled with the pond scum of the world?
The woman of Samaria took her water pot to the well that day.  Both she and her pot were dry on the inside.  But the Bible says when she left there to tell others what had happened to her, she left her water pot.  Because who needs the water pot when you can walk away with the well?
How powerful you are in the Lord depends on what your ladle is filled up with. Do you have a ladle full of things of the Lord?  Or are you dry on the inside from things of the world?  Are you taking a ladleful of Christ everywhere you go?  Or are you dry inside and continually seeking the things the world can never offer you.  Like peace, love, joy, forgiveness? 
"Fill my cup, Lord, I life it up, Lord, come and quench this thirsting of my soul, Bread of Heaven, feed me 'til I want no more, fill my cup, fill it up, and make me whole."

L -- Lifeful.  I thought this was a made up word, but it's not.  It really is a word.  And simply means full of life. 
Are you full of life?  Are you full of ETERNAL life?  If you're not saved, you're not full of eternal life.  You're full of death.  See, for the sinner, eternal death brings judgment, it brings punishment, destruction, contempt...an eternal, fiery Hell.
But for those who are saved, we are full of life, ETERNAL life!  John 3:15 says, "That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have eternal life." 
With that, comes redemption, reward, joy, purpose, inheritance to everything Heaven holds for the believer, and best of all, salvation from an eternal, fiery Hell. 
Are you full of life today?  Have you given your heart to Christ?  We're not promised tomorrow, or even the next five seconds. 

All of these things tie together.  In order to have eternal life, we must have faith in the One who gives it to us.  When we have faith in Christ, we become ULTRApowerful to overcome the things of the world and the adversities we face in life.  And when that happens, we are filled up to overflowing with a ladleful of Christ to pour out onto others who need Him.
Are you FAITHFUL, enough for Him to hold your heart and see your from this life to the next?
Are you ULTRAPOWERFUL, being filled with things of the Holy Spirit?
Do you have a LADLEFUL of Christ, overflowing within you?
Do you have a LIFEFUL of eternity inside of you?

Another Week Gone

It's been an interesting long week. 

Bruce started first shift last week, our Pastor was in revival at Bright Light Baptist Church here in Bessemer City, and Harrison came down with pneumonia.

Bruce had a good first week on first shift.  Tue, Wed, and Thursday he cut grass here, at his mom's house, and our house.  And in the evenings he would go to the revival.  Wed night and Friday night he stayed home with Harrison.  I had taken him to the doctor Wednesday and they said he had pneumonia.  Poor thing sounded like he was coughing up a lung.  He hadn't slept in several days and his chest and throat were hurting.  They put him on a Z pack and some cough medicine to help him sleep.  He seems to be doing ok.  Of course I haven't been able to be home to take care of him like I would like to, but Hannah and Bruce seem to have it under control. 

A friend of the family, Karen, stayed with mom this morning so I could run some errands and check on Harrison.  I was glad to see him sitting up and smiling, as opposed to the last time I saw him, laying down with a fever and coughing.  Hopefully he'll be his old self again soon.

We had several visitors to mom's house this week.  Mrs. Deborah, Mrs. Frieda, and my buddy, Missy, came over Tue, the ladies visiting group came Wed, and Mr. and Mrs. Harmon came Thursday.  It was great visits all around.  I'm thankful for our sweet church family.

Last Saturday I had the honor of shooting a wedding up in Granite Falls.  It was a beautiful wedding.  The groom's father gave a sermon during the ceremony on marriage.  "Leave, Cleave, and Set to Please."  It was a sermon that should be preached in all wedding ceremonies.  I was glad to hear it.  I pray the bride and groom have many happy, wonderful years together.

The weather has been so nice this week.  It started raining today and it looks like it'll be raining all next week. We've had so much rain this summer that I'm really looking forward to fall.  I can't wait to see the beautiful colors in the trees that are sure to come.

 

I found a video collection with fifteen movies on it.  All of them are classic stories and were made in the 1940's or before.  Mom and I are watching Little Men right now.  Well... I'm watching.  Mom is in her chair snoring.  It's a really good story. 

 

I reckon that's it for today.  Have a great weekend!!

 

 

 

 

An Overdue New Do

Mom had a big day yesterday.  We had a visit from Missy, our hairdresser for the last ten years or so.  She was so sweet to come out here to the house and wash and dry mom's hair.  Mom likes to keep her hair short.  She actually had an appointment with Missy the day of her first surgery when she broke her leg.  But of course never made that appointment.  SO!  It's been several months since she's had a hair cut and this one was way overdue. 

She was one happy person with her new do. 

Just as Missy was finishing up with mom's hair, Amanda showed up with the girls.  They brought some blond brownies and played UNO with mom.  The little girls were thrilled when they would win a game.  I'm glad they came.  It was a good visit.

Not too long after they left, a dear friend stopped by to sit with mom while I went to church.  I thought it was very sweet of her to do that.  Mom said it was a relaxing visit with Mrs. Velda. 

I'm thankful the house was buzzing with good friends, but mom sure was tired last night.  And as if her day couldn't get any better with friends, brownies, and a new do, when I got to church, I was handed her new iPad to bring home to her.  Oh, she was thrilled!  I got it set up for her and she's been on facebook and Spider Solitaire ever since the battery was charged.  I think she feels connected to the world again.

Hannah is staying with mom tonight while I shoot an event in Grover at the Inn of the Patriots Bed and Breakfast.  The owner is a former White House Chef under Bill Clinton and is having an event tonight with other chefs.  So I'm excited about this shoot.

I have a wedding Saturday in Marion, NC and I'm really looking forward to this one.  I have yet to meet the bride and groom, but I know it's going to be a very sweet and special wedding.  We've been corresponding through emails over facebook and I can't wait to meet them.

Looking forward to the weekend and all the Lord has in store for us.

Home for a Couple of Days

My brother John came over Sunday afternoon and is staying with mom until Tuesday.  He has bouts with his MS so I texted him this morning to see how things were going and his reply was: "We are fine. After the breakfast dishes are washed, she is going to make my bed and then fix me lunch..."  He's such a nut.  I know they're having a good time together.

Mom is suppose to get her bone stimulator, but I haven't heard anything about that yet, even though the doctor said it needed to be done soon.  We're waiting on a call from his office to find out when that will be. Pray we get that call soon.

After church last night I was so tired we left immediately after service.  Which is kind of unheard of for us.  We're usually the ones standing in the sanctuary when the lights are being turned out. It was just Bruce and me so we drove to DQ for a bite of supper and then Sonic for their 1/2 off after 8:00pm milkshake. They have some very good and some very interesting flavors for the summer if you happen to be out one evening and want something for your sweet tooth.

I gotta say it was real nice sleeping in my own bed last night, next to my sweetie pie.  Today I was able to cook my family lunch (in my own kitchen), which I haven't been able to do in quite some time, considering all we've been up to lately.  The kids and Bruce seemed glad to have a real home cooked meal instead of canned ravioli, Banquet meals, or turkey sandwiches.

Laundry is done, boys have had hair cuts, kitchen is cleaned for the evening, and we're watching Anne of Green Gables for the one millionth time.  It's been a good day.  As soon as we're finished watching Anne, we'll get down school books and see what all needs to be ordered for this year.  If I'm not mistaken, all I have to order are chapter tests.  That would be nice! 

A couple of years ago Bruce cracked his tooth on a piece of sausage eating pizza from Pizza Hut.  That tooth ended up needing to be pulled and he was not happy about that.  So imagine his disappointment when he bit into a Wiener Works hamburger this past Friday and cracked the same tooth on the opposite side of his mouth. Poor guy. The good news is, they were able to put a crown on it instead of pulling it.  He was glad about that.

For the last couple of years my mom has had a difficult time keeping her house cool during the summer.  Usually during the hottest part of the day it would get up into the high 80's, sometimes even 90's.  She's had a company come out a couple of times and take a look and this time, that same company, Roland Black, came out and said her air handler was out and it was going to cost her $2700 to replace it.  That was very disappointing and very discouraging for her.  She was going to have him do it until her neighbor and Bruce and me and John suggested she get a second opinion.  We contacted a man that does a lot of heating and air repair for our church, Mark Hamrick, and he came out with much better news!  After looking at things he did agree that mom's air handler had to be replaced, but he also showed Bruce pictures from under the house where all of mom's vents had fallen to the ground and she's basically been cooling under the house the last couple of years.  Roland Black never bothered to tell her that.  Mr. Hamrick also said the battery in her main unit was out and that the fuse for her air was blown.  He replaced the fuse, the battery, hung up all of her vents and replaced her air handler for $1250.  He saved her fifteen hundred dollars compared to Roland Black and when she called Roland Black to tell them, the man that was working her order replied, "Well good luck with that."  We have been so cold over there it's crazy.  I mean COLD!  It took us a few days to figure out where just the right temperature should be set.  But it's definitely cooler and we were thanking the LORD for sending someone honest our way to do all that work.  It sure makes for better sleeping at night, I know that!  :)
 

Bending Isn't Always A Good Thing

I took mom to her orthopedic doctor yesterday.  The report wasn't wonderful, as we had hoped.  She had been doing so good walking.  Even walked from the examination room to the x-ray room and back. 

The x-ray showed that the plate in her leg is bending.  Which means the bone hasn't healed enough for her to be walking yet.  She was told partial to no weight on the leg for another month.  During the next few weeks she'll have to wear a bone stimulator, which will help with healing. The hope is that the next time she has an x-ray it will show no more bending of the plate.  If there is bending, surgery to replace the plate is a big possibility.  If that's the case, she will be starting at square one. 

She had an appointment with the Infectious Disease doctor this afternoon.  He went ahead and put her on an antibiotic.  Not because she has any infection, but to keep her from getting one during the next few weeks.  It's a precautionary measure. If she were to get another infection, it would most likely gravitate to her hardware.  Bacteria will stick to metal so we certainly don't want that!

Her spirits were really low yesterday and kind of today.  But she's doing good.  She knows there's nothing she can do but wait it out.  So over the next few weeks, that's what she's going to do.  She's going to wait it out, obey the doctors, and Lord willing she'll receive positive news at her next ortho visit.

I've missed my Harrison.  I've seen Hannah and Justin, but haven't seen much of Harry since he came back from camp.  Hopefully I'll get to sit down and talk to him a bit tomorrow about how camp and vbs was for him.  My brother is staying with mom a couple of days next week so I'll get to spend some time with Harry and get things ready for the school year.  I need to order a few things, but nothing major this year. 

Hannah is enrolled for fall semester.  She is very excited to get started.  And Justin has some things in the work.  Praying the Lord will bless them both. 

Saturday Enjoyments

Mom's occupational therapy is to help her get back into the routine of what she was doing before her accident.  So part of her therapy Saturday morning, I had her sit at the piano for as long as she could stand it.  As soon as I wheeled her to the piano she began to cry.  It was really sweet.

I didn't tell her that she would be having company that night.  The Turner family showed up with pizza and she was so excited to see them walk through the door.
Taylor had made some of her cupcakes and was squirting mom in the mouth with cream cheese icing.

As we sat around the table to eat she was very emotional again, being home and having family and friends around her table.

My honey-lamb.

We had Taylor's mini cupcakes for dessert.  Red Velvet.  They were so yummy.  Thanks, Taylor!

We spent the rest of the evening playing Phase 10 and sharing way too many laughs.  We had a really wonderful time!  So thankful for good friends and good fellowship.

Two More Days, Folks!

That's right!  Two more days and she'll be home. 

Hannah and I went to the hospital for Family Day, which basically means we went over everything she is doing in therapy and over what is to be expected while she's home.

She has met every requirement needed to be released so Thursday is the big day.  Getting some last minute things completed and it's game on!

Thank you for the many prayers that have gone up for her and for all the encouragement too.  She's done really great and, with the help of the LORD, is getting better and better every day.
~~~~~~~~~~
Last Saturday Bruce and I went to Mt. Airy, NC to see the town where Andy Griffith grew up and see the town that Mayberry was based on.  We had such a good time just being together and enjoyed the sight seeing.

We stopped for ice cream...

Posed with the Andy and Opie statue...

Went to the Andy Griffith Museum...

Received a kiss from Thelma Lou...

Took a trip into town...

Took a mule drawn tour...

Visited the Earle Hagan Theater...

Bought some Apple Cobbler Cider from the Mayberry Cheese and Cider store...

Had lunch at Walker's Soda Fountain...

Saw some interesting vehicles for their car show...

Visited Opie's Candy Store...

And yes, I did buy some candy...

We went to Floyd's Barber Shop so Bruce could get a much needed haircut, but it was closed...

We also wanted the famous pork chop sandwich from Snappy Lunch that everyone raves about, but Snappy Lunch was closed also...

Found Wally's Service Station...

Goober's tow truck...

Mayberry's police car...

And the Darling's Truck...

Posed with "the cannon" from one of my favorite episodes...

And took a photo op in front of the Mayberry Courthouse, which was also closed.

That ended our tour of the town.  But we finished off the day in Mt. Airy with a visit to the Siamese Twin exhibit of Eng and Chang Bunker.  I found it, both, interesting and mind blowing. 

 Between the two men and their wives, they had twenty-one children, raised by this woman, Grace Gates. 

It is believed that Grace lived to be 121 years old.  Bruce said the Lord must have blessed her good for tending to all those young'uns. To live to the ripe old age of 121, I am inclined to agree.

 

As we drove out of town we stopped by the old home place where Andy Griffith grew up.

You can actually stay there.  Not sure about the price, but I plan on checking into that.  It'd be kind of fun to stay the night there and then visit the places we missed because they were closed.

 

We had a picnic in the car with our candy on the way home. 

Even though several of the places we wanted to visit were closed, we had a really fun time together and plan on visiting again.  Next time, though, we plan on leaving our house much earlier in the morning and getting there earlier in the day.  Unless, of course, we decide to go up and just spend the night.  I think that would be fun too. 

I bought a t-shirt that has Barney on the front riding a motorcycle and it says, "Mayberry Choppers" on the front.  It's cute.

 

This is probably the last post until we get mom moved, unless something happens.  Next time I post, I will most likely be living with her at her house.  I am truly looking forward to getting her home.  I am sure it will be a very emotional day for her Thursday since she hasn't been home since May 22nd. 

Please continue praying for her as she continues to recover. 

:)