Let the races begin...

This weekend we had a great time entering and participating in the Awana Grand Prix along with out church. It was a regional thing as several other churches were involved and it was held at New Life Baptist Church just down the road from Noonday.

Jay and the girls spent 2 weeks designing the cars, building them, and the girls did the decortating together since I know nothing about cars! It was so much fun for the girls to have such a special experience with their daddy doing something really fun...and then to get to race them!

We were amazed at all the different kinds of cars that were entered in the Grand Prix. Many of these people have been doing it for years and are practically professionals as far as I am concerned. We were definately among the amateurs there and we didn't take home a trophy...but wow what a blast we had! The girls had so much fun I don't think they realized that it was a competition or race.

It was great to cheer on those from our church (Noonday had a full sweep in the "style" catagory!). It was just something fun to build unity and excitement. They shared the Gospel with everyone and it was a blast from the past for Jay when he used to make these cars with his dad.

We pray that your weekend was full of joy and excitement centered around God! He is amazing us every day and we wake up excited to share His story with everyone. Please keep us in your prayers as God is leading us into another apartment ministry here where we live! I was able to spend some wonderful time yesterday with 2 older ladies who are alone. Two are widows and one has been single her whole life. One of the precious women is a Christian. One of the other ladies told me that "you don't need to go to church to live a good life." I don't want to live a "good life"...I want to live an abundant life! That is what Jesus Christ offers and I want to run this race of life every day to win the prize...abundant life here on earth and in heaven!

Pray for us as we follow the Spirit's leading and join God in what He is doing! Here are some more photos from the Grand Prix...

Virginia checks her car in...they are very strict about the size and weight of the cars!

The kids have to position their own cars. It was a very cool track!

Virginia waits at the end for her car to come down the track...so exciting! They get three chances to race their cars.

Anli steps up to the track and positions her car!

Here comes her dinosaur racing to the finish line...go Anli!

We had so much fun and the girls won ribbons...for making and entering their cars. They were so excited to get that ribbon! What a blast!

Virginia Surgery Update!

Yesterday Virginia had her surgery to remove a juvenile melanoma on her back. She did amazing!!! We all went downtown together and Jay went back with Virginia Grace to have the procedure while Anli and I stayed in the waiting room (Jay has always insisted that he go back for all their doctor or urgent care situations...what a wonderful daddy they have!).

Within an hour or less she was coming back out to see us...without a tear! Jay said she was awesome and the doctor said that there hadn't been another child (except her own) that had ever done as well as Virginia Grace.

We know that all this is because of the great mercy and grace from our loving God. We also know that it is because of the prayers that were prayed on our behalf. We are so blessed to have gotten emails, calls, and more emails about her yesterday from so very many people. Thanks to those who not only prayed but encouraged us also. It is so precious to have others lifting us up.



Right now, she is doing well. She is a little sore, but that is to be expected for a few days. We wait about a week for the results to know whether they got it all or not. Please continue to pray that this will be her only procedure and that they are confident they got it all.



I will be posting later about the Grand Prix that we participated in with out church Awana group this Saturday. It was a blast!!

Virginia's Surgery

Please pray today for Virginia Grace as she undergoes her surgery to remove the juvenile melanoma on her back. I will be updating the blog tonight afterwards to let you know how it went. Thanks for your care and love for our family! We know you will be praying for us! Thank you...

Top 10 List!

Well today is Friday and it's time for another Top 10 List of JOY! Since we have been living in this apartment, our beagle Pacey has woken me up at 6am to walk and feed him. I didn't really mind too much because 6am is not too bad. But, when daylight savings time kicked in last week...that was a whole other issue! He has been waking up and whining at 5am for the past week.

I know what you are thinking...either just leave him and let him whine or punish him when he wakes you up! Well, don't think I haven't tried both, but when you live in a small apartment, everybody in the house hears him and I don't want my girls or husband to have to be awakened at 5am. And by the time I get up walk in there punish him...I'm frustrated and awake!

So, I took this to the Lord in prayer. You know what His sweet answer was to me? Well, go ahead and get up then spend some extra time with Me! Well, that gives 5am a whole other meaning...I can get excited about that...when I actually wake up. God took care of that part too...when you brave a cold, dark winter morning at 5am for 15 minutes walking a beagle running everywhere...trust me you are AWAKE!

It hasn't been all easy to keep that time with the Lord instead of just snuggling back into my warm bed, but it has been AMAZING! Here are the top 10 reasons why...

Top 10 Reasons I Have JOY In Getting Up at 5am:

10. My dog is quiet and content...did I say QUIET!
9. I get to see the sky full of stars and the moon is amazing.
8. I get dibs on my husband's beloved massage chair for my time with God (I have to be gone by the time he wants it for his time!!)
7. I get to enjoy a piping hot cup of hot tea waiting for me when I get back from walking Pacey in the freezing cold...I make it before I leave and it's perfect when I get back!
6. Adding praise music to my time...it has really made my time so rich.
5. Time to write and work on our Genesis project while everyone is asleep and I can focus.
4. I get to have time to visit with Jay while he gets ready for his day...we talk every day about our time with God.(what are we learning? What did we hear? What scripture meant something to us? What does your day look like now that you heard this?)
3. Now with two full hours with God...there has been time to expand into more specific prayer time(praying on the armor, praying for 1 Corinthians love, etc.) by praying God's Word.
2. Praising God as the sun rises every morning on my knees...I've not missed one unique sunrise this week!
1. Enjoying, treasuring, savoring, and lifting high the name of Jesus first thing!

Most of you (myself included before this week) would not think it was a source of JOY to be woken up at 5am by a dog. But, looking at what God had in store for me...I can't imagine NOT getting up at that time...I wouldn't want to miss out!

Am I ready for bed at 9:30pm...oh, yes! But, God has kept my energy up and He has been my source of JOY! Don't forget to look at your own life and see how God is giving you opportunities for JOY...trust me they are there. Many times, it is in the midst of something that you might never see as a blessing. So, keep your eyes open for JOY today.

Sabbath Reflections...

It seems like every where I turn God is stressing the importance of living life with urgency. I have been devouring books in the evenings and each of them has been resounding with the theme of viewing out lives as a vapor. In church we are talking about heaven...and the urgency to tell others about Christ's gift of eternal life to those who would believe. Urgency is a reoccurring theme in my life right now.

But, it matters what you urgent about in life. Most of us live a life of urgency...but it's urgent about things that don't last. We urgently seek promotions at work for more money we can't do a thing with when we die. We urgently seek power and respect in positions that won't last longer than the people who fill them. We urgently seek love from humans who can't ever truly love us the way we were created to be loved. We urgently seek approval from flawed humans just as messed up as we are. We urgently give our children things that won't last. We are urgent, all right, but many times about things that just won't be around when we take our final breath.

I am dying...so are you. Each moment we are not becoming younger and more alive...each moment our bodies are wasting away. You are dying...it's a fact. Whether you have a minute, dying from a sudden heart attack...or several more decades, you are still going to die. Where will you go...what will happen when you take that last breath? Do you know?

I do! I will be in a place with God that lasts forever! It's called heaven...and it's real. Because I have become a slave to Jesus Christ in this life, I want to be urgent about what is eternal. That will be around after I am long gone from this earth. Devoting our lives to Jesus and accepting His gift of life eternal is what will last. We are investing in something eternal with our lives...it's either eternal with God or eternal in hell.

God has convicted me that though I am a Christian and my eternal dwelling is secured...I am not living devoted and enslaved to things that will last. It is a challenge because our world and the lies of Satan tell us that we have to live it up in this life and get all we can before we die. But why? If you can't take it with you...if it doesn't last...why in the WORLD would we chase after it with the few years we have here? I want to spend my entire life on this earth chasing after the prize! The real deal...the Word of God and the souls of men.

James, in the Bible, tells us this:

Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

I am praying for a life of urgency...one that is desperate to know God to the fullest, be conformed to Christ daily, be bound as a slave to the Spirit's leading, to immerse myself in His Word, and overflow from those things onto the people around me so that they may see the joy of loving Christ in my life. They would see what is of value in this life...Christ!

Today I pray that you will join me in the journey of faith. That we will live every moment asking God to redeem our time, our relationships, our conversations, our free time, our thoughts, our love, our families, our being. I want to be a slave...with no identity of my own...but only glory to my master. Only then we any of us really understand true freedom that lasts!

Homecoming Fun!

This weekend we headed to Auburn, Alabama for Homecoming. Jay and I graduated from Auburn over 10 years ago...lots has changed down there on the plains! We took the girls and we had so much fun there! We have been taking the girls to homecoming for the past 5 years, because it is filled with floats, face painting, cheerleaders, and families. It is also a game that Jay doesn't mind leaving after halftime if the girls are ready to leave.

We started the day by getting our face painted outside Anders bookstore! We love to get our game faces on...we got the traditional AU to support our team.

Then we headed over to Tiger Walk. This is a time about 2 hours before the game when the coaches and players make their way from the bus to the stadium. The band plays and we all cheer for our team in order to get them and us fired up for the game. The girls were on our shoulders and enjoyed seeing the cheerleaders and the players march...and they LOVED the band!

This year we met some friends to tailgate and eat some wonderful lunch together...yummy! It was fun to have time to hang out with friends and enjoy the amazing weather. After lunch we headed over the stadium and watched the eagle fly, saw the Air Force fly over, enjoyed the band and the cheerleaders...and even learned a little about football. Virginia was very interested in the basics of football. She really got it! Jay was thrilled! Anli was a little more like her momma and was more interested in the halftime show.

We even got to see Aubie up close and personal...a first for me! He was riding in a golf cart that stopped right in front of us as we were headed to our seats. He looked so cute in the back of the cart waving at all the kids. The girls loved getting to see him up close...I did too...he's soo cute! Go Aubie!

After the halftime show we headed to a local park called Felton Little where we met some of our best buddies from college and their little boy Nathan. They all had a blast getting to run around and play in the amazing fall weather. Though Meredith and Nathan had a little trouble on the slide...well at least Meredith did!

We had a great weekend with lots of friends and some wonderful Auburn football! Next week marks a big game for us...it's Auburn vs. Georgia! Being an Auburn fan living in Georgia...it makes for an interesting day! I pray that your weekend was just as wonderful. I'll be posting my Sabbath reflections tomorrow...it was a great Sabbath!Daddy and his girls in front of the stadium!Picnic time with friends...thanks for the chicken salad Jen...yummy!
Headed to the game...go Tigers!

This was the "wave" that went around the stadium 5 times! It was really amazing!

It's hard to see, but the eagle is landing in the middle of the field...awesome!

The girls and our friend Nathan...so cute!

Virginia and mom enjoy Tiger Walk together!

The girls enjoy some funnel cake and football!

Daddy and Virginia talk football.

Virginia gets into the football craze!

Reformation Day!

Well, we had an amazing time together on Reformation Day (October 31st!). The girls and I took all our Harvest Seed packets(little packs of candy corn with evangelistic scriptures on them) and delivered them to over 250 residents! Outside our doors we have clips for announcements and other things so the girls and I clipped those little bags outside their doors for when they got home.

We took all of them and Anli took time to pray over these scriptures that people would know more about Jesus! It was absolutely precious to see them really begin to understand how important it is to live for things that last! That is now a slogan in our house...do what will last! It's also a quick way to remind each other to focus our time on what will last.

I am reading a book called "The Journey Home: finishing with joy" by Bill Bright, former leader of Campus Crusade for Christ and maker of the Jesus film. This book was written when he was given his death sentence of pulmonary fibrosis. It is perhaps one of the most powerfully convicting books I have read to date.

God has been doing a major overhaul on my life! I waste so much time on things that just won't last. I took inventory the other day and I found out just how much time I pour into details that won't last...they are fleeting. But, eternity...that lasts forever! That is simple, but God really wants that into my head and my families daily life. It is my litmus test for the things I am involved in. Will it last?

If I was given the blessing of knowing I would only have 6 months to live (many never get that kind of warning) by a doctor...would I live each moment of every day until I died differently? Sadly, my answer was yes. What about you? I want to live today with urgency. I want to love my Lord now as passionately, completely, urgently as I would if given only months to live. I want to spend time loving my family as desperately as I would if I wouldn't be here tomorrow. I want "to make the most of every opportunity"(Colossians 4:5) to share the eternal life giving Gospel of Jesus Christ with those all around me.

It requires love...like 1 Corinthians 13 describes. This urgency is a gift from God's heart...because in my own self I want to make my life more comfortable, fun, memorable, easy, and about me! But, Jesus tells us to take up our cross and follow Him. Jesus was urgent! He made the most of every minute...doing the work of His Father. He started early and was up late becoming a drink offering to be poured out for those who were going to hell every minute.

Take time today to look at your life. Are you urgently pursuing the things that will last? The truth is...you may die today. You might die tonight. You may die instantly and never have time to do all those things you said you'd get to. What will your life be about...what is your inheritance that you leave to your family, community, nation, and world? Will what you put your time into every day...last? If not, let's join to seek first God's kingdom and let all those other things be added to our list. Begin today! It's humbling and amazing...

Fun With Play- Doh!

I know I am by far in the minority here...but at our house we LOVE play- doh. I know it is messy and crazy, but arts and crafts has always been something that is fair game at my house! Yesterday during our designated time to play together...we chose play do! As you can see we had the best time making little creatures and taking "family photos"!

I like a clean house as much as the next mom, but being involved in art and in imagination is so good for kids who are surrounded with media in their culture. I just love seeing them do new and inventive things each day here in our sunroom area. That is the designated art and school room. Anything including painting with acrylics, glue, chalk, watercoloring, finger painting, play do and more are all OK here. Through this, they have learned to be responsible and clean up after themselves and to keep the work area clean.

Have fun today with your kids, if you have them! If not, get out there and do an art project yourself. You'll be surprised at how much fun you will have...trust me I had a blast! Tomorrow I will share about our Harvest Seeds giveaway here at our apartments and how we celebrated Reformation Day! Have a blessed day today...

Yesterday I came in and saw that Anli had created a nameplate for her desk...just like Daddy's!
Virginia created a family of crazy animals. She wanted a "family photo"...since she's one crazy animal too!

We are the newest members of the Noonday Baptist Church family!!

Sunday was a wonderful day in our family! After visiting Noonday Baptist for over a month, we joined with this amazing body of believers! We are so excited and overjoyed!

We have learned so much about what it is like to be a visitor at numerous churches over the past 4 months. What amazing lessons we will take with us.

We have learned how important it is to have signs! Yes, we went to many churches where we couldn't find the right entrance or anyone to help us find our classes. As we drove up to Noonday, there were several wonderful signs that helped us to the right entrance, along with smiling faces all over the parking lot greeting us and helping us along. Then, as we entered the door to the children's area there were numerous people dressed in Noonday shirts to help us...very easy to find someone to help you and always with a huge smile!

We learned how important it is as a teacher to be on time to your class. We visited churches where the teachers were gone for 10-15 minutes from the children's class...while children ran around! We were a little worried about that!

We have learned how truly important it is to go beyond just a smile and a handshake. At Noonday a wonderful couple took special interest in us and always talked to us, made sure we didn't need anything, asked us to dinner, etc. Those kind of people are so valuable in make new visitors feel more like family!

There are too many things about Noonday that we love to list for you, but here are a few!

We LOVE that our service begins with a call to prayer at the altar. The worship team, staff, and all families are called to the front to cover the service together in prayer. What a way to focus and prepare for singing, teaching, and giving! We find that we feel such a unity and presence of the Spirit at Noonday! We know it is because they don't just rush in and begin the service with announcements and greetings...they begin by humbling themselves before a holy God and welcoming Him! Awesome!

We LOVE Steve the worship pastor. He often reminds us he's not the "music guy", he is a pastor. He takes it very seriously and his heart is amazing! He is candid, open, humble, and brings a freedom of worship I find so refreshing. There is not one Sunday that I haven't felt the tangible presence of God in that place. What a blessing to feel the freedom there!

Our pastor Billy really encouraged me when he shared about memorizing scripture. He puts it on a sticky note in his pocket so all day long the Word of God is literally STUCK to him! I love it!

The last thing that I want to share is how they opened their new facility about 3 months ago. They began on Monday before they were to have the opening on the following Sunday with a full reading of the entire Bible. It went on every day in the new facility...until they ushered in Sunday at 12am finishing the ENTIRE Bible! What a way to start a new phase of their church's life!! I was blown away and totally pumped about that kind of desire and passion for God's Word...with zeal and excitement!

All that to say we are THRILLED to be among the family of Noonday! It is such a "fit" for us. We are blessed to call this our home. Our girls love AWANA, Sunday school, and the worship service we attend together as a family. It is something the girls look forward to! I am in awe of God and the great grace and love He gives us each moment...I'm about to bust!

Week in Review!

So much has gone on this past week(end) that I thought I would give you a quick run down! It was so much fun and we had a blast! We couldn't believe that it was over so fast...

We made individual cakes with some new silicone baking pans made like fun shapes!

Virginia chose the star!

Anli wanted the teddy bear...yes that is a bear...he's just decorated very FINE!

Daddy's was the Man on the Moon! Very nice!

We got out the ELECTRIC juicer we didn't know we had! We LOVE fresh OJ and this was really fun for the girls to see how the juice comes out...and they could do this themselves since it was electric and did all the work for them. We really loved the juice too!

We spent one rainy afternoon being artists. We had real canvases and acrylics that we purchased at Blick. We made some creations that were really fun to do!

Virginia's masterpiece was a sunny day with pretty birds and flowers...even a nice butterfly!

Anli painted a sunflower garden complete with watering can.

Well, this part was not so fun...but not too bad either. Virginia got her expander this week and has been a real trooper. She is talking really funny and eating isn't very pleasant for her...but she is doing well!

This weekend I went to the outlet in Commerce with my friend Paula. We had a blast...just to get away for day and enjoy the food, shopping, and Super 8 motel! This is the only photo we took...isn't it nice! We were eating milkshakes and they put a little too much whipped creme on them...a little messy you might say! We were just goofing off and having a blast in this fall weather!

I finished the weekend with a baby shower for my friend Ginger! It was so much fun to see her open all the girl presents since she has 2 boys! It was great to see friends and enjoy a girl's day!

We had a wonderful week and weekend! The girls and I have begun taking each afternoon to do something fun together. It keeps us away from TV and video games and we have some great conversations during our activity. We have really enjoyed being together. We've done puzzles, painting, play do, riding bikes, walks, baking, juicing, etc. They don't cost much money and they really have been adding to our memories!

Take time today to carve out some special time for your relationship with God (first!) and your family. Even just a few minutes to do a puzzle will calm you down from all the things that take your attention and it will really bond you with those little ones in your home. Enjoy your day!

Friday's Top Ten!!

Top 10 reasons I have JOY in our family not being in vocational ministry right now:

10. People don't call Jay the "paid Christian" any more!

9. Jay getting home...and really being home...no more computer attached to his lap.

8. Going to a Sunday School class and NOT be the teachers!

7. Not living in the fish bowl at our church.

6. Lots of family time each night...without being so busy all the time.

5. Understanding what it is like to be visitors at a church again...wow!

4. People don't a have a clue who we are...very nice to be a student, worshiper, member, and follower.

3. Just being Jay, Frances, Anli and Virginia Worthington!

2. Being under a wonderful staff and being their biggest fans while really understanding what they are going through.

1. Allowing our identity to be in Christ and NOT a title or position!!!

This Top 10 was a hard one for me! I have not known anything other than our family being in vocational ministry. That was my comfort zone. I loved it and felt called to it! But, for right now God has another journey for us to be on for a while and we are finding JOY daily in this new place God has us to be.

See, that is JOY! God gives this supernatural fruit of His Spirit when we go through our days with a crazy kind of JOY...no matter the way that day goes! It's not easy finding this new place and we miss vocational ministry very much. But, guess what?!? We're STILL in ministry...we just don't get a check from a church with Jay's name on it!

We are still called to love others, to serve them unselfishly, to worship with passion, to love God with all our hearts, minds, soul, and strength. We are all ministers...really. Though some are called to vocational ministry, that doesn't give the rest of us an excuse to just hang out! The great commission applies to ALL of us and we are missing out on JOY when we pursue other ends.

"And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20

What is something that you are struggling with or feel burdened by in your life today? Take a moment to allow God to show you some of the things He is bringing JOY into your life through that situation. It is a blessing!

Virginia Update

Thanks to all of you who have been emailing, commenting, and calling to get an update on Virginia's spot on her back. We have been to both the dermatologist and the surgeon. We have her surgery scheduled for November 12th. Please keep her in your prayers.

They will use a local anesthesia (they wanted to put her under because of her age, but we did not want that) and then take what they hope will be all of the juvenile melanoma. They will send it off to the pathologist and they will determine if they got all of it. If not, they will send her to a Moh's surgeon...like the one that I went to in July for my skin cancer.

Today Virginia goes to get her expander. We pray that she won't be in too much pain for the next few days. We'll have to get used to cranking it every morning and evening. We'll update you further once we go and have it put in today. Please pray for that also!

Here is a photo of Virginia and I's spots...I've been reminding her that I also went through this just a few months ago. Thankfully God has allowed me to understand what she is going through during this time. Thanks again to those who have been so kind in checking in on her!