The Call Amidst the Storm

I had to write a poem for an English assignment this week. I thought it turned out pretty good. The theme of the assignment was the TRUE meaning of greatness. Greatness being not measured by fame, worldly successes, or any of the world's faulty standards. True Greatness is measured in our response to the storms of life. The question is not will the storm comes, but when will the storms come? Secondly, when the storms come, what will your response be? Will you give up, lay down and die, or will you fight and persevere through the storm?

A Christian friend once handed me a slip of paper with these words:

"Some times God calms the storms. Some times God lets the storm rage, but calms the child." This precious Christian lady suffered the loss of her oldest daughter, having been brutally raped and murdered. A loss no parent should have to endure. What was her response to the storm? She endured, she stayed the course. She did not let Satan have the victory he sought. She chose fight, rather than flight. Through it all, God received all Glory. Can we be asked any less? Are our storms so severe that our case is different? The small measure of suffering that I must endure are but small and insignificant when compared to the price my savior paid for my ransom. To Him be all glory, honor, and praise. Christ is Lord, He is Lord of all. I am but his humble bond slave. If in this life my small and insignificant trials can bring Him but the slightest hint of glory, are they not infinitely worth it? I think they are. Here is the poem I wrote. I hope you like it.

When life assails and life's wind hails
Your sails are torn and tattered
Prevail you must and sail onward just
Though the ship is worn and battered

The shore draws near and rocks you fear
No safety calls and beckons
But strong must stand the Captain's hand
His hand assured and reckoned

Resolved you must and causes just
The hope that drives and wills thus
No fear too great uncertain fate
When duty falls and certain calls us

In His Service,

Micah
An unworthy sinner saved by a marvelous and amazing grace!

My Favorite Non-Biblical Quote - It says it all!

“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

Theodore Roosevelt 1858 – 1919

"Where are the nine?"

I've seen a lot the last couple of weeks about what people are thankful for. I think that is a great thing. I wonder though, to whom are they thankful? We say all the time how thankful we are for this and for that. But how often do we stop and consider to whom we owe ALL thanks. The following passage ought to serve as a powerful reminder that all of us, and I mean all of us are blessed beyond measure. Certainly life is not always easy, but there is much to be thankful for. Have you stopped and thanked the one to whom you owe your thanks? I wonder, are you one of the nine or one of the very few who come back to the feet of your Master and give Him the thanks He alone is due.

"And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole."
Luke 17:11-19

Which will you be?

May you all have a fantastic Thanksgiving holiday and may you thank the One who matters most. To Him be all glory, and power, and majesty. Jesus Christ is Lord of all or not Lord at all.

In His Service,

Micah

My Son's Poem About My Six Year Battle with Lyme Disease

My 14 year old son Zachary wrote this the other day. He has watched me fight my illness for over six years now. He has missed so much, years I should have been there playing with him, wrestling, whatever, he has missed. At times I've been too sick to get out of bed. I've suffered so much pain and he has had to watch me endure it. He has to help me out of the floor when I fall. He has had to help me to bed when the seizures have come. It has taken its toll on him but he has come a long way. He went through some angry years at God and there are still days I know he wonders why. He has learned to try and see God's hand in all of it. He is an incredible young man.

He wrote this the other day. I just thought it was good and shared so much of what my illness has put him and really our family through. So parents, when you think your trials only affect you, remember they affect your family just as much if not more.

He wrote this:

My senses have faded, my mind has gone numb,
I just feel so jaded, it strikes me dumb.

A decade and a half, he's spent serving you,
the rod and the staff, is far from his due.

I don't know your plan, don't pretend to know why,
All this on one man, all the pain in his eyes.

This is my plea to you, this is my heart,
Come down, pull us through, before we're torn apart.

I close with this, God is on His throne. I trust Him fully. He is sovereign in my life. If there is a valley to walk through, I accept it as the smallest portion of the cross he bore for me. To God be all glory and power and praise.

To my son, I say thank you and I love you.

Dad

Samuel's First Pee Pee in the Potty

I'm coming Momma! I'm a big boy now!!!

Today was a momentous day in the Mauldin household. My wife put Samuel on the potty and by the shear luck of timing and his bladder the little man went pee pee in the potty! Of course the house burst into applause, praising him as if he'd just won the Olympic Gold! He, of course, being 19 months old looked at us all like we had lost our mind. Don't get me wrong, he LOVED the praise, but hadn't the foggiest idea what all the commotion was about.

So, for the rest of the day my wife faithfully put him on the potty every time she would change his diaper. He'd just sit there and look at his weenie.

It is going to be a LONG road to potty training land! ;-)

Love you all!

Micah

Most of these pictures were taken at a recent visit to the Fair Grounds park. Samuel had a blast! We just had fun watching him explore and have fun. The kid is fearless!

Bubba knows everything, and he showed it all to me!

Ok Bubba! Let's do that slide thing again!

Woopie!!!! OH man, a diaper wedgie!!! :-o

Daddy, I love you, but I am MUCH too busy for sugars!

Can you tell from my hair I had a rough night?
No sheets, no covers, stripped them all, a regular habit of Samuels!

Busy, but Good!

Yep, blessed with two pretty great boys!

Keeping this short today, but I do have some new pictures. I've been a negligent blogger these past couple of months, but I'll try to do better. :-) Life is so very busy, but so good at the same time! Since we've moved to Texarkana, God has blessed us with the most wonderful church family, a great home, the chance to reconnect with so many old friends, a chance for me to go back to college, and the hope of starting a new job soon that will let me work totally from home. God is good, all the time!

The boys are growing like weeds, we can barely keep them fed. Samuel is only 17 months old, but is about the size of a 2 1/2 year old! Can't imagine where he would get that from? :-) Zachary is growing and growing. He is under strict orders to stop, but he keeps ignoring my orders! Can't you ground a child for growing too fast?

Carrie is wonderful as always. (got to get my brownie points in!) She is busy juggling more things than you can imagine, but always manages to keep it all together. I'd be lost without her.

My health is up and down at times, but I can't complain a bit. God has been so good to me, only the goodness and greatness of God can explain how wonderful he has been to us. His love and watchcare are never failing. We thank all of you who have prayed for us and our new church family these past few months. If I may ask, please keep it up! We covet all your prayers. These are exciting times for us, we need all the wisdom and guidance we can get. Thanks!

Now to some more recent pictures:

I SURE do love my Bubba!

Howdy! (Samuel in the church nursery)

What can I say, the child is just gorgeous! :-)

Me and Piggy just watching the tube!

PIG SOOOIIEE! GO RAZORBACKS!

Yeah, I know I'm cute! (Samuel with his cousin, Allondra)

Zachary with his cousin Hassavi, two good looking kiddos!

I'd say the boy was tired!

Man! Sesame Street is the Bomb!

Samuel going in for some sugar from his girl Jaylee!

(notice Jaylee's lips puckered up, they kiss A LOT!)

Life in Texarkana

Hi All,

Seems like we are getting settled here in T-Town. We've been here about six weeks or so now, and it seems like we've been here much longer than that.

Carrie continues to chip away at all her little projects on the house. She is trying to get them all done before she starts keeping kids. I don't know if she is going to make it, but she sure is trying!

Zachary has been a huge help since moving here. He is a huge help with the baby, as always, but is becoming quite the little painter while he is at it. He helps me with whatever project I'm working on, and jumps in there when Carrie is working on something too. He'll be quite the handy Dan by the time he gets married! (which we are praying is a VERY long time away!) :-)

Samuel is, well, he is, I guess......just plain HUGE! Man this is one big kid! He isn't fat, just tall, heavy, and strong as an ox! He is gorgeous, just looks so big to be just shy of 15 months. I just can't figure out where he might be getting his size from. :-) He is cutting four molars all at once right now, but maintains an even keel most all of the time. He is such a good baby, just like Zachary was. Samuel isn't quite the traveler that his bubba was, and he hates getting his diaper changed to this day. He is quite an amazingly good baby though. Don't get me wrong, he is bad to the bone when it comes to doing things and grabbing things he isn't supposed to! Of that there is no doubt! He is just a well adjusted bad baby! :-)

The church is going great! We are six weeks in now, and God just continues to bless and bless and bless. I am so fortunate and blessed to be a part of what God is doing. I continue to be humbled at what God is doing around me. Many have said, and I agree there is such a sweet sweet spirit in our church. I pray God continues to keep it as such. We are quickly running out of room in our current meeting place, so make that a matter of prayer if you will. We need a place to call our own, at least something we can afford to rent that will give us a little more space and some additional rooms to use for nursery and children's church. Thanks in advance for those prayers!

Here are a couple of recent pics of the little man. Don't have any new ones of the rest of the family. I guess we are all just too busy:

Oh yeah, I'm a mess!

I think I should replace these gaudy Gold balls!
(he lost these permanently soon after,
they don't go real well with my flat screen tv!)

Hey, this almost fits!!!!
I love my new room, and Mommy finally got rid of this purple paint!
Now my room is a good old boy blue!
(well, half of it is, Mommy isn't finished yet!)
Thanks Mommy! :-)

Almost Settled!

Two VERY tired boys after a long and difficult move!

Belated Greetings!

Can't believe it has been almost a month since I've posted anything! Bad Blogger! Bad Blogger! :-) I guess that speaks to how crazy and busy things have been.

Since my last post, we have started the new church, with three services now behind us. God has truly blessed, we are thrilled with how things are going. For detailed updates on the church, go to www.nbbctexarkana.blogspot.com

We have moved from Denton, TX to Texarkana, AR. We have bought another home here and have been trying to get settled here. We have made a couple of trips to Denton to tie up loose ends there. In fact, Carrie and the boys are there right now trying to get some things taken care of. We are having the interior of the house painted this week, and new carpet put down.

We are still praying for a good renter, our last one backed out at the last minute, so it really left us in a bind. Pray for us on this need, PLEASE!!! :-)

The family is doing great, Carrie has been working so hard at trying to make this house a home. She is doing so much, I'm worried she is overdoing it. Zachary has been more help than you can imagine. We never would have been able to make the move without him! I told him, "you sure are a lot more help this move than the last one!" Of course, he is a foot taller and has a LOT more muscles! :-) He was a tremendous blessing. He and I loaded the truck all by ourselves, and he matched me step for step. He was great! Samuel has adjusted well to our new home. He can open and close doors in this house, so he is into a LOT more things, a LOT more often! :-) He is getting much harder to keep track of!

I have almost a month behind me on the new job. I am a Correctional Officer. I work with the Arkansas Department of Community Corrections at the Southwest Arkansas Community Corrections Center, or SWACCC. It is the old St. Michael's building. I like it, the staff are great, the leadership are very genuine and do a great job. So far, I really haven't found anything to complain about! :-) OK, it is HOT in the building sometimes, but if that is the only complaint, I guess I don't really have one! :-) The pay isn't that high or anything, but the benefits and stability are really good. I'm thankful for the job, in this economic climate good jobs are hard to come by! I'm working nights, which has been a hard adjustment for me and the family, but we are making it.

As for New Beginngings, our new church, all I can say is THANK YOU LORD! God has blessed us with some of the sweetest and most faithful people you could hope for! We have seen a slow but steady increase each week. I'm excited and expecting great things from God next week! We are still meeting at the old YWCA on Magnolia, what a blessing that has been! We are so thankful for the generosity the owners have shown in letting us meet there! We have no outside support, but the faithful giving of our people has already been outstanding! Their faithfulness will allow our church to accomplish far more for the kingdom! I can't wait to get more and more of our church structure in place, from Sunday School to Missions. I told someone the other day, I'm having a blast!!! :-)

Well, I have to meet with a realtor in a couple of hours, to look at some potential meeting places. We appear to be getting close to outgrowing our current meeting place, so I'm trying to be proactive and be ready when the time comes we have to move to something a little more semi-permanent. What a great problem to have!!! :-)

Here are some recent pictures of the boys:

I LOVE my new house and my new church!
(OK, he was actually playing with my CPAP mask, but you
gotta admit he is mighty cute and has a gorgeous smile!) :-)

Mommy, these clothes are all in the wrong drawers!!!
(Samuel has taken to EMPTYING the drawers any
chance he gets! He also likes to put CLEAN clothes
into the dirty laundry hamper!) Annoying, but Cute! :-)

WHAT? I'm not sleepy or anything!
(Samuel LOVES Zachary's chair, he climbs up in it by himself,
and sometimes zonks out!)

Samuel and His Box

OK Daddy, lets load that truck!!!!

Just thought this video was cute. He LOVES the boxes and wrapping stuff all over the house. He has no idea what is going on, but he is loving it! :-)

Three days till the move, packing, packing, and more packing. Just finished the garage, yuck! Man, I'm all already tired!

Anyone feel helpful or adventurous, we should arrive at the new house on Friday, May 29th. Want to help? ;-)

Ok Daddy, what do you want in this box?

Do we need packing material in this?

Bubba, I'm tired, you pack the next one!

Delays and Insults

Soon to be our new home in Texarkana!

Well, after my last post I was bombarded with insults! My pictures were goofy, I really DIDN'T look 10 years younger, etc, etc....

I am so insulted I've decided not to move to Texarkana!!!! :-) Just kidding!

In case you didn't realize, the goofy nature of the pictures was INTENTIONAL! I know under normal conditions, I am dashingly handsome (NOT!), but I was going for the goofy look for the fun of it!

Now as for the 10 years younger remark, I'll have you know my lovely wife said that, BEFORE seeing my goofy pictures, so THERE!!!! Her opinion is the ONLY one that matters anyway! :-) Though, a certain sweet senior adult with excellent taste in men said that I was "just a good looking man", without my beard. So there!

After all that, I'll just take my toys and go home! ;-)

All the emails and comments were taken in good fun. Hope you enjoyed my relative transformation!

On the update front, all is going well. In case you haven't heard, I was delayed starting my new job for two weeks. I came in early this past Monday, as planned, only to have to delay my start because my hire packet had not been received by the state. Though I REALLY could have used the money, it did allow me to come back home and continue to help Carrie get ready for the move.

If all goes well, we hope to move this Friday, May 29th! Cross your fingers and say your prayers.

If that all goes as planned, we are planning a first meeting, tentative and introductory for the first Sunday in June. Can't wait!!!! We'll be sending out more detailed information and updates to our email list tomorrow. If you would like to be included on our email list, if for no other reason than being a prayer partner, just let us know. Otherwise, we will include all of those who have for sure signed on, asked to be informed, or our close friends who we know will be praying for us. All prayers are coveted!

We had a yard sale today, not great results, but we were able to thin out the junk. What didn't sell, went to Goodwill!

Our week looks like this:

Sunday - Monday - Packing, packing, and more packing.
Tuesday - Bring Carrie's Mom, Donna, to a Texarkana Nursing home.
Wednesday - Drive back to Denton, still more packing.
Thursday - Pick up the big Uhaul and load it up!
Friday - Moving on back to T-town!

I will (SHOULD) start my new job the following Monday, and we should actually close one day that week. The bank says for sure before the 5th of June. The sellers have graciously allowed us to move our stuff into the house prior to closing. This is a HUGE blessing!

Thanks again for all of your love, prayers, and support! We love you!

Micah

I'm tired of being in this playpen!
I'm using this ladder to get out of here!

Bubba rescued me,
so now I can help the family with the yard sale!

Baby Face

A relative transformation has taken place. Today, I became 10 years younger! How did I accomplish this amazing feat? Did I have a facelift? Botox? A miracle? Nope! I shaved my beard!

On Monday, May 18th, I go to work for the State of Arkansas, as a corrections officer. You guessed it, they have a no beard policy. So, out came the hedge trimmer and POW! Instantly ten years younger. If you don't believe me, just check out the pictures. I thought it might make for a funny set of pictures seeing me go from furry to baby face. Samuel didn't quite know what to make of his now clean shaven Daddy. He just looked at me funny and rubbed my face. Carrie is the one who says I looked 10 years younger. Of course, she had to throw in the fact that it doesn't mean I now look 27, because with the beard, I looked older than 37! I'm not quite sure what to make of that. According to her, I look like maybe 33 to 35. I guess I'll take that, though that would mean that I looked 45 with the beard! :-(

You be the judge:

Grizzly Adams
Do I really look 45?????? :-)

Hacking down the beard with a hedge trimmer!
Not quite there yet!

Do I look like Tom Selleck?
Carrie said NO and the mustache had to go!!!!

Reverend Baby Face Mauldin
Do I look 10 years younger?
I was wondering, 10 years younger than what exactly? :-)

Thought this would be good for a laugh! This is for you Mrs. R!!!!!! She has been telling me for years to lose the beard! So, as long as I work for ADC, she will get her wish! :-)

The new job is just moving us one step closer to our goals and dreams. I'll stay with my Dad during the week and drive in on my days off till we close on the house and get moved. That shouldn't be more than two or at most three more weeks! I can't wait! Can't wait to see so many of you and get started serving the Lord together in Texarkana.

Pray hard, Satan continues to attack at every turn, he and his minions stand against the Lord and His will. Our God is greater, He is able! Perfect love casteth out all fear! Our God is a God of perfect love! I'll close with these scriptures:

"Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets. But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil." Luke 6:26-35

"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?"
Romans 8:31

To God be all glory and honor and power!

In His Service,


Micah

Good News on the House Front! (both of them!)

Our Home in Denton

Good news all around!

We have been approved on our mortgage for our new house in Texarkana! All we are waiting on now is the paperwork to go through and get this thing closed. The mortgage officer thinks it will be the end of May or just in to June. Can't get here soon enough for us! We are excited!

We have a signed 12 month lease on our home here in Denton! They came by on mother's day and signed the lease and put down the first month's rent with deposit. We feel real good about this family and are confident this will turn out well for all of us. They may even be interested in buying it in a year!!! :-)

I'll be starting my new job on Monday, May 18th. I'll be driving back and forth on my days off for at least a couple or three weeks. That stinks, but is a necessary evil. Finances require it! One good thing is being in town I'll be able to work harder on getting things going with the new church. The whole family is getting excited, we can't wait to get there and go to work! God has shown us He is in this in so many ways. It really is a New Beginning all around! God is wondrously good!

Your many prayers are appreciated! God has shown His watch care again and again, thanks in no small part to your prayers. So, if you will humor me, pray just a little longer! We are almost home!

Love you all,

Micah

Hey Daddy, how much longer till we move? I can't wait!

Thank God for Air Conditioning!!!!

Daddy getting some pretty awesome snuggle time!!!!

After almost a week with no A/C, we FINALLY have a new unit installed! God blessed considerably during the time with no air. Most of the days were unseasonably cool, with only the last day or so getting pretty rough.

Poor Samuel was getting a pretty bad heat rash. We let him go with only a diaper for most of that time. All of us were getting pretty tired of it before it was over. My muscle pain and weakness were pretty bad, I still don't hold up to heat very well. Kind of sends me down the tubes. But, by the grace of God we made it just fine! Thank you for your prayers on that.

I told my Dad the other night that if any body DESERVED to go to heaven on merit alone, it would have to be the guy that invented air conditioning! I'm kidding of course, but almost not kidding! :-)

We continue to move forward with the house buying process. Lots of I's to dot, and T's to cross. We still have a few hoops to jump through. Between starting a new job and having our house in Denton still, even having great credit still leaves a few hurdles for us. Just keep us in your prayers till we have the keys. We don't doubt we'll get the house, we just have to work with the lender closely to meet all of the requirements.

Praise report from our friends, Scott and Alicia Stevens. If you haven't heard, their 17 year old son Adam was hospitalized last week. He was an extremely sick young man. It took the doctors a few days to figure it out, but the final result was Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Yep, another tick borne illness! He finally made it home and is continuing to improve. I can vouch for the fact that those little ticks can pack quite a wallop! Praise the Lord for answered prayers. Hope he continues to improve!

Thanks to some of our folks in Texarkana for the work they are putting in trying to narrow down a meeting place for the new church. With hard workers like that, it sure makes everything still needing to be done seem a lot easier to pull off. Hopefully, we will have something nailed down real soon.

Keeping this short today. Love you all. Here are some recent pictures:

Bubba, you make a really good pillow! You just gotta read this book!

Can we PLEASE get the A/C fixed???
This is all the energy I can muster!!!

You don't really think that barrier will stop me, do ya?

Man Daddy! That is one hairy leg! :-)

I'M NOT SLEEPY!

...really, I'm not sleepy....

....zzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

OK Bubba! This town ain't big enough for the both of us!!
(cue western gunfighting music!)
Looks like the gunfight at the no A/C corral!

Update, Rumors, and Prayer Requests

Them Mauldin Boys are really hard to beat!
(click on this one to take a closer look)

Update

What a month!!!!

After more trips to Texarkana than I care to count, untold job interviews, house looking till we were sick of it, it FINALLY looks like things are coming together!

I have a job, that I will try to start in the next couple of weeks. I'll be driving back and forth for a couple of weeks (on my days off), but I really need to go ahead and start. Strike one prayer request off your list.

We have a contract on a house! We have agreed to purchase a home at 2218 Grand, on the Arkansas side. It is a nice little house, in great shape. We like it a lot, and hope to close before the end of May. Modify your prayers on this one, just pray everything will go smoothly and quickly!!! :-)

Our house in Denton isn't sold or rented just yet, but we have had a lot of interest and at least one for sure who really wants to rent it. SO, pray a little more on this one. We would like to have some folks to pick from before we commit to a renter, though we like the family who is for sure interested. Of course, a sale would be even better!!!

So what does this all mean? Barring some unforeseen catastrophe, hindrance, hold up, or snafu, we should be in Texarkana by the end of May / first of June! It will be about two months later than we had hoped, but God is on His throne and certainly knows best. Your continued prayers are greatly appreciated!

Rumors

In case you haven't heard, I'm supposed to be dead. The rumors of my demise were greatly exaggerated! Apparently a couple of weeks back, somehow / someway, the rumor got around that I had died. If this is dead, it feels pretty darn good!

I don't know a lot of the details, but apparently someone heard that I had died of an overdose of medication. If you only knew how little medication I actually have to take anymore, you might laugh. If the thousands of pills the doctors shoved down me for nearly six years didn't kill me, the tiny amount I take now is beyond laughable! I am down to a single Lyrica (for neuropathy and burning), antibiotics (for Lyme's disease), a booster for my thyroid, and a host of natural supplements and assorted nasty tasting vitamins. I take pain pills every now and again for really bad days or the occasional kidney stone. That's it! Nope, I'm a big big man! The little dab of medicine I take now couldn't even phase me!!! :-)

Life hasn't been this good in so long, I can barely contain myself! I have a great life, a great wife, two great kids, and a hope and looking forward to the future that wasn't even imaginable this time last year! God is good, I'm not dead, and we are moving to T-town (Lord willing)! Just thought you all might like to know! ;-)

Prayer Requests

We have already had so many prayers answered, that I feel selfish asking you to keep praying, but selfish I will be.

Continue to pray for my new job, our new house to close without a hitch (and quickly), and for a renter / buyer for our house here in Denton.

As a new prayer request, pray for our finances. We had set aside enough funds to carry us through April, hoping to be moved by the end of that month. As the weeks have drug on and the prospect of another month in Denton, money is getting tight. Our business is in a protracted slow period, and without starting the new job, things will get tight before this move is over. We have enough money put back for the new house, but every day that goes by, our funds are being eaten away, so your prayers here are sure needed.

As a side note, our central heat and air unit (the air portion) died today. Going to cost us $2,500.00. Right now, I'm typing this in a very hot and muggy house! :-) Going to be next week before the new unit is put in! UGGHH!!! Pray for cool weather through then!!! Seriously, heat takes a toll on me physically with my health, so real prayers are being asked for here! Thanks!

Closing Thoughts

Today, Carrie asked me if my real name wasn't Murphy, of Murphy's law fame! With everything that has seemed to hit us lately, all of the attempts to make this move happen, and so much more, she was beginning to wonder!

For example, three houses we were either trying to buy or were real interested in have been scooped up right out from under us! The one we finally managed to get a contract on, had an offer put in just minutes before we were going to try and make an offer! Carrie was almost in tears! We managed to get the owner on the phone, and he said he hadn't accepted the other offer yet, because he wasn't able to get hold of his wife! We asked if we could see the house again, and I did my best to make him an offer he couldn't refuse! Ok, maybe it wasn't that good of an offer, but we made what we thought was a fair and strong offer, and found out today we got the house!

I have to admit, that was the first GOOD news we have had in a while. This has been an exercise in patience for us. Lots of frustration, hold ups, let downs, almosts, and barriers. There have been those moments, that we have looked at each other and almost find ourselves doubting if we have misread the Lord's will. Through it all, when we relax, step back, and catch our breath, we have been able to either see the Lord's hand in this, see the enemies road blocks, or understood that God has a plan with perfect timing, and more than enough grace to see us through it all. We are confident that God has shown His will, and that is for us to serve Him again in Texarkana. We are coming, quick as we can, ever more certain that God is in this. Can't wait to see you, can't wait to get started doing what we are called to do, can't wait to see what God has in store for us! God is good, all the time!

Love you all,

Micah

PS Samuel had his one year check up the other day. He was 33 inches tall and weighed 27 lbs, 11 oz! Doc said he was in the 95th percentile in weight, and off the charts in height! Based on his current height, and the curve of his growth till now, the chart says he ought to be at least 6'4" tall when he is grown! Where do you think that could come from? :-)

Zachary is already 5'10" or real close to it. He is getting all muscle bound. God help us!!! :-)

Getting my one year check up!
Do you like my baby hospital gown?

Daddy, I did better than this with the chocolate cake!!!

I want this shirt off!!!!!!!!

Ok, I give up, but can I get a name brand shirt???

I'm Baby Sam!
(we ask him where's baby Sam, and he points to himself)
Yes, the boy is a genius!!!!! :-)

Visiting my Granny Bryan at the nursing home!