Saturday Night Ramblings...

Wow...such a blessing tonight!  Our church is sponsoring a new mission church start, and they  (Grace Baptist Lavaca) invited us (Oak Cliff) to a cookout/gospel singing tonight.   We'd been talking about going all week, but this afternoon I almost backed out.  Triple digit temps, a van with AC problems, a 40 minute (or so) drive,  and a body  worn out from a full week at VBS had me just about convinced I needed to stay home and take a nap instead.  But Billy and I both felt it was important to support this new church, so I drug myself out the door, potato salad and pound cake in hand.  

I'm so glad I did!  First, we got to visit with some old friends we hadn't seen in a long while.  It was such a blessing to catch up a bit, and especially to hear their excitement about what God is doing in this new church! It was also great to make some new friends there.  God is working, and their enthusiasm was contagious.  It brought back memories of the early days of Woodland Heights, Conway, although the situations are entirely different.  

Second, we got to fellowship with some of our own church family.  There was quite a turn-out from OCBC, especially given the holiday weekend and the  fact that we just finished VBS yesterday.  I have said it before, but I will say it again...I am so thankful for the fact that our church family truly is a family.   God has been so good to fill in the extended family "gaps" for our family with people from our church who love us and who we love  so much.  As I sat listening to the music tonight, watching my family interspersed among special folks from our church family, I had a hard time not getting teary.   Psalm 68:6 came to mind..."He sets the lonely in families..."  He surely does!

Third, the food and the music were wonderful!  LOTS of food (they may be new, but they are definitely Baptist!!), and good old gospel music from two local-ish groups, New Creation and Arklahoma Traditions.  So many of the songs were about God's faithfulness, and on this day especially, it was such a blessing to focus on the words they were singing and worship with them.  The finale of the evening was "I'm Proud to Be an American"...which was timely not only because of the holiday, but because our good friend and fellow church member is tonight spending his last night in the US before deploying to Afghanistan for 10 months.  We are missing him already and praying hard for him and his family during this separation, and we are so thankful for their sacrifice and the sacrifice of so many others like them who give up so much to help protect and preserve our freedom.  

The whole evening was a super blessing, and I think many of us who went to support and encourage "them" were ourselves encouraged and blessed.   I couldn't help but think as I sat there, five years almost to the hour after the worst moments of my entire life, what an amazing God we serve.  He has brought us so far.  He is working, mightily, in so many places.   Grace Baptist is one of those places...our own church is one of those places...and our family is one of those places!   

The icing on the cake tonight was {FINALLY} going to see our friends' new property, where they will eventually build their house and barn and raise all sorts of critters, and ESPECIALLY have the COOLEST TREE HOUSE ON EARTH...officially. :)  What a treat to see their beautiful someday-home and hear their plans.