Have I told you I love my church lately?
It’s been a long weekend. I’m sure it will seem even longer tomorrow morning if I don’t head to bed VERY soon.
But no matter how long a weekend, no matter how tired I am tomorrow, no matter how sore or stiff I might be tomorrow, it was all worth it to see the body of Christ truly working as the body of Christ.
A month or so ago our community group had the idea of helping our pastor Brian Treadaway with some weekly duties and such. We didn’t know what that entails but we knew we wanted to help however we could.
That conversation led into how can we help Brian and his wife and his family and thus an entire weekend was planned.
Brian and Heather made a list of “honey-do” projects around their house that they either had not completed or simply needed to get started on.
Some of the items on the list included painting outside trim, cleaning brush in the backyard and laying tile in the living room.
The youth group meets at their house every week and with them and their five kids its no wonder they have a few spills from time to time.
Our group discussed it and before long the project snowballed and people from all over the church were getting involved.
So this weekend was go time.
A number of us showed up around 5:30 on Friday night and worked till near mid-night ripping out the old carpet and then busting tile out of their kitchen and breakfast nook. We decided to carry the tile work into their kitchen so the two areas wouldn’t clash.
Saturday morning we began work by 8:30 and we began to lay tile in the living room and the kitchen.
I’ve never been more impressed with a group of people – especially novice tile layers.
I’ve never actually tiled before and somehow I trained Laurie, Amber and Shari to do it after I watched Josh some on Friday night.
I must tell you — my wife to be is a tile laying fool.
Between her and the other two women, they tiled the entire living room in four or five hours. Laurie and I started in the kitchen before Josh trained a couple youth and another volunteer and they took over.
I’m telling you. It was a sight to see.
Miguel showed up and painted the entire house.
Jose and his dad Rodrigo helped bust tile up on Friday night and came back to work on the backyard fence that they had fixed/repaired/replaced much of earlier this month.
Rodrigo and his wife along with Jose’s wife and mother-in-law cooked up an awesome dinner of fajitas, rice and beans.
Jay took to scraping up the old thin set in the kitchen right away and by the end of the night he was laying, measuring and cutting tile.
Chris showed up and did a lot of scraping and helped Miguel paint.
PJ and Jonathan from the youth group were some mad workers as they scraped old linoleum, thin set and more as well as laying, measuring and cutting tile before it was all said and done.
Dennis cut down trees and brush that needed cleaning.
Beth, Marni, Shalyn and Sarah cleaned bedrooms and bathrooms.
Lon and Tristi came on Sunday to help clean up and lay grout.
Richard sang and danced to New Kids on the Block while he cleaned up brush.
Smiley scraped thin set and helped with the brush and tree trimming.
Brandi climbed trees with a chainsaw between her teeth and I think she probably hung upside down by her feet while she cut tree limbs.
Shane did an AWESOME job rebuilding drawers in the kitchen with the fronts that were on the old drawers.
And I’m sure I’m still missing some folks. We had over 30 people come and go throughout the weekend.
It was truly a great thing to see. I’m glad I was able to be a part of it in a little way.
There are several other things in the works to continue the project but I’ll wait on those for now.
For those who donated food, time, money, elbow grease and more — thanks for being a light for Christ. Thanks for giving of yourself for someone else.
Laurie said she got a lot of great photos which we’ll post soon after Brian and family have a chance to see their house. They’ve been staying with Heather’s parents over the weekend and aren’t expected back to their house until Monday afternoon.
Month: March 2007
New blog tease
I’ve just finished setting up and importing Laurie’s new WordPress blog. I’m not even sure she knows it yet.
She picked a fun template that utilizes Widgets. Made setting up a little different. I’m still a fan of coding things out when I can but my first go around with widgets in WordPress was a good experience.
She also picked a fun template that was written all in German. I thought maybe it was just one or two words but nope – all the links like, “Post a Comment” and so forth were all written in German.
So I had to go into each page and change all the links to English. Hopefully I got them all, but if not, let me know.
So in case you can’t guess or remember what her new blog address is, visit: www.casadeblundell.com/laurie. I wouldn’t count her old blog out just yet but you never know.
Feel free to drop her a line in either location.
What if?
An interesting question was raised by Waxahachie blogger Natalie Guyoll:
The next time some creep claims that Bill Clinton blew some chance or other to take out bin Laden, ask why Ronald Reagan “cut and ran” after Hezbollah blew up the US Marines barracks in Lebanon — killing 225 Americans and 51 French Legionnaires. What if he had taken them on?
Thomas Lehmann – Feb 11, 1947 – March 23, 2006
Please keep my best man and his family in your prayers today…
LEHMANN,, THOMAS VICTOR 59, went to be with his Lord and Savior Thursday, March 23, 2006. Tom was born Feb. 11, 1947, in San Diego, Calif. to Robert and Lorraine Lehmann. He met his wife Susan Hinton in front of the Dixie Dog Stand in Sulphur, Okla., where both were attending a church camp revival meeting. The two married soon afterwards in Dallas at the Boulder Drive Church of Christ on Jan. 19, 1968. Tom was a traveling evangelist and he and his wife started their new family as they served at at various churches in Georgia, Ohio, Missouri, California and Texas. The two finally settled in the Dallas area in 1971. For the next 31 years Tom worked in route sales including a 16 1/2 year career with Little Debbie. Tom was an active member at Metropolitan Bible Church in Dallas for over three decades. He served as a youth worker, deacon, and Sunday school teacher. Tom was known among his friends and co-workers as a man of integrity with a great sense of humor. He was a humble, sweet spirit who loved his entire family, especially his grandchildren, but most of all the Lord Jesus Christ. He often expressed himself through his music and humor and showed demonstrative love to everyone he came in contact with. His parents, brother Robert, and son’s fiancee Amy Blundell preceded Tom in death. He is survived by his wife, Susan, four sons and their families; Paul and Naomi of Mesquite. Tim and Amber of Rowlett, Aaron and Keri of Cedar Hill and Matt of Waxahachie; five granddaughters; one grandson; two step-granddaughters and two step-great-grandsons, and sister Darlene Lehmann of Lakeside, CA. Visitation will be held 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday. March 27, at Grove Hill Funeral Home in Dallas. Funeral services will be held at 10a.m., Tuesday. March 28, at Metropolitan Bible Church in Dallas, with Rev. Keith Treadway and Rev. Charles R. Diffee officiating, Interment will follow at Grove Hill Memorial Park. Memorials may be made to the Amy Elizabeth Blundell Memorial Camp Scholarship at Metropolitan Bible Church. 8501 Bruton Rd., Dallas, Texas. 73217 Dignity Memorial Grove Hill 3920 Samuell Blvd. Dallas (214) 388-8887.
Avoiding processed food
Wisebread has found some information from Sally Fallon concerning the threat of processed foods.
I’ve seen more and more about the dangers/lack of nutrition in processed food, including info in the South Beach Diet.
Some of the areas Wisebread highlights are:
- Food processing – industrial damage.
- Packaged Cereal – now without goodness.
- Rat experiments
- Milk
- Milk Allergies
- Powdered Milk
- Orange Juice
- Processed Food Affects Fertility and Facial Structure
To sum up…as I say, the complete article by Sally Fallon goes into so much more detail, and also covers topics like natural and artificial flavors, hydrogenated oils and trans fats. I urge you to read it, then to look much more closely at the labels on all of your grocery store items.
Spend your money wisely, yes. But don’t always go for the cheap foods, because the more expensive, genuinely organic alternative may cost a little more but it certainly won’t be as costly to your health.
What will we see Sunday?
Well it’s Friday morning and I’m sure all of you are thinking, “Jonathan. What video or media or drama will we get to see at encounter this Sunday?”
Well I’m glad you asked. Oh wait, you didn’t ask? Sorry, that must have been my weekly excitement talking.
I don’t want to give it all away, but here’s just one of the videos we’re working on for this week…