Mardi Gras
It’s Mardi Gras Day! “Laissez les bons temps rouler — Let the good times roll.”
Come on, get into the New Orleans spirit, watch New Orleans parades live, wear your purple green and gold, eat King Cake, and listen to this favorite song…
Entries Tagged as 'Personal'
Valentine’s Day
For my Valentine: The Wedding Song
Who’s your valentine? Watch this Hallmark Valentine’s Day commercial. Your valentine is the one you want to sit next to, play with, get in trouble with, share life with… Click the link and then click the commercial titled “Avocado.”
Here is my Valentine: David Phillips
Make a Difference
No matter what career path you choose, you can make a difference in someone’s life. You never know what words you will say or what actions you will do. Those words and actions may be just what someone needs.
Check out this post Making a Difference from a professor/author.
An example of making a difference in someone’s life happened to David and me during our first year of marriage in our first church where David was pastor.
David was the pastor of a very small rural church in Louisiana during our first year of marriage. I was the volunteer children’s minister with a very small group of children. I led the children in a Bible study, did a children’s sermon, and started a children’s choir. All with a variety of ages of children. We were only at this church for about a year when God moved us on to other things. We did not keep in touch with anyone from that church after we moved.
Then 13 years later David received an email from a young girl who was involved in the children’s ministry group. She had searched for our names on the Internet, found David’s contact information, and contacted him. She said she never forgot us and the impact we had on her life. She reminded us that I shared the plan of salvation with her at the age of 10 and David baptized her. She did not attend church with her family at the time. Her mom would drop her off at church time and come back to pick her up.
She is now married to a pastor, has a nursing degree and works as a nurse, and recently had their first baby. Her mom is now actively involved in our former church and has gotten many of her friends involved as well.
What a blessing it was to know that we did make a difference. Keep on keeping on — keep on making a difference. You may not know what kind of difference for many years later.
Ministry to all God’s creatures
During the Delaware blizzard of February 2010, even though we couldn’t get out of our driveway very easily and we battled the blowing snow and the entire state was closed for the day, we continued to provide a safe corner for one of God’s little birds. He found his way to our front porch, in the corner right outside our front door, shielded from the blowing wind and snow.
Cloudy days are ok
The grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence. Some days we just wish would end and be over. Some days we can’t see any good coming out of them. One thing leads to another and worse gives in to worse. But, never fear! Cloudy days are ok. We must ‘face the clouds to see the silver lining.’ That’s What Faith Can Do.
Merry Christmas 2009
Sung to the tune of Away in a Manger:
Away in a year ’09 has gone / In marches a new year ready or not…
Brenna started 2009 with continued preparations and plans for her mom and dad’s 40th wedding anniversary reception. Their official anniversary was April 5, but we celebrated on March 29 at their church in Winter Haven, Florida. Many friends and family were in attendance and had a great time remembering their times together over the past 40 years.
For Brenna’s birthday celebration in February, David took her to a Washington Wizards basketball game in Washington, D.C. That was an amazing experience to see a professional basketball team play live.
The next week was Valentine’s Day, so Brenna and David had dinner at Morton’s Steakhouse in Philadelphia. That was a treat to remember.
The week after Valentine’s Day was Mardi Gras and being the New Orleans lovers that they are, Brenna and David made their annual King Cake order from the Big Easy and discovered a New Orleans restaurant in Wilmington, Delaware. Crawfish and Po’ boys and Bananas Foster, O my!
David spent much of the early months of the year writing his dissertation at Panera Bread at University of Delaware. He was able to defend it in mid-March, allowing him to graduate with 9 members of his cohort.
On April 27, they celebrated 13 years of marriage the weekend before flying to Portland, Oregon, for David’s doctoral graduation. He graduated in May with a Doctorate in Ministry, Leadership in the Emerging Culture from George Fox Seminary. His dissertation was entitled “Understanding Behavioral Change through the Integration of Emerging Sciences and Theology.” He cherishes those years of study and mentoring under our new friend Len Sweet. Len teaches at Drew University in New Jersey as well as George Fox Seminary in Oregon. Living in Delaware has allowed Brenna and David to share a meal and visit with Len while in New Jersey. What an encouraging friend.
While in Portland, we went to Timberline Lodge, 7,000 feet on the side of Mt. Hood, and rode the train through the Mt. Hood valley. We drove through the Columbia River gorge and saw many breath-taking waterfalls, including Multonomah Falls.
David turned 40 years old in June and Brenna surprised him with a graduation/birthday party at their home. He was surprised until the day of the party when he wanted to go somewhere and Brenna had to tell him no because 35 people were coming over later.
The next week after David’s birthday party, they went to a Braves-Orioles baseball game in Baltimore. The Braves lost but it was a fun experience and they consoled themselves with a piece of cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. It works every time.
For the July 4th weekend, Brenna and David rode their bikes on the trail and went kayaking at a Delaware state park. That was fun, but they would rather go canoeing than kayaking.
August through the remainder of the year has been a time of prayer for healing for Brenna’s mom. In August she had surgery to remove the pins in her hip from a fall 10 years ago. That wasn’t healing properly and giving a lot of pain and discomfort so she returned to the hospital in September to discover her hip was broken again. Meanwhile, her twin brother passed away suddenly. Brenna’s mom was in no condition to travel from Florida to Virginia at that time, but Brenna made the short 4-hour trip from Delaware to be with her aunt and other family members. She read a tribute from the twin sister at the memorial service on her mom’s behalf.
Brenna’s mom continued to have a lot of pain and the doctor discovered through x-rays that her hip had now dislocated. She went for the third surgery and continued physical therapy and occupational therapy at a center near their house. The center staff was impressed with how well she was recovering and getting back to a normal routine. She was finally able to return home in early December. Praise God!
Through social media tools, such as Facebook and Twitter, Brenna calculated that people from 12 states responded to her posts and tweets on her mom’s recovery journey. Thank you so much for the prayers and thoughts. We love you all.
A person is a professional when she gets paid for a work, right?! Given that definition, Brenna is now a professional writer. In September, she had 2 articles published in Group Publishing’s Children’s Ministry Magazine, and she wrote the VBS article for the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware’s State Missions Offering. She has been asked to write a chapter on multi-age classrooms for a children’s ministry book coming March 2010. She has an illustrated children’s book on the transition from preschool to children’s ministry also coming in early 2010.
David continues to write as well. He authored an e-book entitled Reframing Success: Missional Metrics for Missional Ministry. He is nearing completion of his book based on his doctoral research Wholly Rewired: Science, the Gospel, and the Journey Towards Wholeness. He has started a book on missional theology called The Miror: the Reflection of God to the World. This book looks at the Trinity as the basis for missional theology.
In October David flew to Huntsville, Alabama, to visit his parents and see some other family and friends. He enjoyed visiting with high school friends, Brad and Russ. He was able to see his 6th grade teacher and another high school friend he has not seen since 10th grade.
In November, David had an eye doctor appointment that resulted in bi-focals. Now he’s really feeling 40 years old.
In early December, Brenna and David divided the house for the second year in a row as the undefeated Alabama Crimson Tide took on the undefeated Florida Gators. David is looking forward to watching the National Championship game in January while Brenna will watch the Gators make Kool-aid in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day.
Brenna will drive back to Florida with her parents after Christmas, visit with friends, and go to an FSC basketball game then fly home New Year’s Day. David will drive back to Delaware after Christmas to get the dog from the vet and spend a few days reading and writing.
For Christmas 2008 we met the parents in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. We loved it so much that we are going again this Christmas.
We are looking forward to time off from work, visiting friends and family, and celebrating the season of Jesus’ birth.
Merry Christmas! from Brenna and David Phillips
Going forward
Philippians 3:13 The Message:
“I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. … By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward–to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.”
This is my life verse, the verse I strive to follow and to hold. I’m not perfect and get off the path towards THE goal, but I’m not all I’m going to be YET. “I know that I have not yet reached that goal, but there is one thing I always do. Forget the past and strain toward what is ahead” (New Century Version).
Rivalry week
This blog takes a break from it’s regularly scheduled programming of children’s-family ministry to bring you this video on the rivalry between the Florida Gators and the FSU Seminoles.
Go Gators!
Danny W @ Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.
Is the sky falling?
I am loving the songs by 33 Miles more and more. The lyrics from “Jesus Calling” song means a lot to me these days as I try to hear God’s voice and follow His path. Sometimes things feel like pouring rain and thunder and lightning and it feels like the sky is falling all around me, but Jesus is calling; He’s right there with me.
Here’s the chorus:
When you see the rushing wind, feel the pouring rain
Hear the thunder now as the clouds roll in
You’re blinded by the lighting
Do you also hear that still, small voice saying it’s okay
You’re not alone, you may be scared to death
But I won’t let you go
You may think the sky above is falling
But can you hear Jesus calling
Nature wins
End of summer-beginning of fall butterfly in Delaware
This afternoon I sat on the back patio reading, enjoying the end of summer-beginning of fall light breeze and sunshine. I love things in nature! The beauty of God’s creation! Here is a picture of a big butterfly enjoying his own butterfly bushes.