5 GREAT DAYS

It's been about 5 days since Ellie arrived on our radar and man has it been good! She was born on last Thursday and since then it has been a wonderful time for us. Louise and Ellie both did well and went home on Saturday afternoon. After getting them home, Jamie stayed at the house with them and Dustin's parents while Laurie, Leigh and I went to the Faulkner football game.

After the game, of course, we had to drop in and check on Louise (and of course, Ellie :)) Sunday after services at University church of Christ we had lunch that Justin and Michelle Bond brought and hung out and vistied until church time. After evening service we went back and Michelle had made lasanga and it was wonderful! Jamie stayed at Lousie and Dirt's while I came back to Laurie and Leigh's to help Laurie get finished and study to finish up her college work Sunday night.

Monday we got up and went to Louise and Dirt's and they got up after a long night with Ellie. SHe didn't sleep very well but felt good on Monday. Ellie had a doctor's appointment today and her liver numbers were still a little high so the doc will see her Weds but prescribed sunlight for her today! So I got to feed her a bottle of milk while Ellie lay in my lap in the sun. While they were at the doctor I got out in the backyard and spread the rye grass to go where the swimming pool had been. Dirt's dad, Franklin and Justin did a great job in getting the yard leveled out but man was the soil dry adn soft but the grass seed is out and Dirt and I watered it tonight. He'll probably get to cut it this fall:)

Ellie felt better tonight and was getting more active and alert. It has been a great joy and blessing for me to get to be here for her birth and first 4 days of her life.

I have reflected each night on the joys and challenges of life awaiting Ellie and other babies born into today's world. Certainly there are going to be things in her future that I would give anything to protect her from but I can't. I am encouraged though by the family she was born into. Louise and Dirt are good young people with a love for the Lord and for each other and now Ellie that is as strong as I have ever seen. Not only are they good parents but they have a strong family support that wants to see Ellie grow into a great Christian woman also. Laurie and Leigh are as concerned and loving aunts as any child could be blessed with. Both sets of grandparents are committed Christians that pray and want to do all they can to help. Both Dirt and Louise have thier closest friends that are faithful Christians trying to raise godly children in this challenging age.

Bottom line, I am so excited about Ellie and the joy she has already brought to our lives and so many more and I look forward to watching her grow and seeing the fabric of her life continue to be woven into a wonderful life! God bless you Ellie and Lousie and Dirt! Love you all so much!

Reflections of a New Grandfather

I have now officially been a grendfather for about 2 hours and have spent much of that time looking at Ellie. So thankful that she was born healthy and that Louise is well too. 8 lbs and 11 oz and 20 1/2 inches long with a 14 inch head and beautiful to boot! It is so surreal to remember January 15, 1984 and seeing another pretty little baby and now realizing she is laying in the hospital bed just having delivered her own baby. Today has flooded my mind with reflections of 30 years of blessings that God placed in Jamie and my lives with our daughters. Now with Dirt having joined us a few years ago, it didn't seem like things could be much better until this afternoon. Ellie already has made a special place in my heart and I can hardly wait to see what she adds to the world.

Of all the things I have already prayed for and hope for her, my greatest desire is that she will grow to be a wonderful Christian lady. She will be surrounded with great examples, starting at her mom and moving outward in the circle of family and so many godly friends.

I can't help but wonder what she will be and what she will do, and really don't have a clue. But I do know that she has already got a hug spot in my heart and given me a new hope for life and the world.

On a funnier note, Jamie and I were walking back from the nursery after watching Ellie in the bassinet, and had to smile. Just an old granmother and grandfatehr walking off into the sunset. Not sad and certainly not at the end but really enjoying reflecting on where we've been and looking forward to the road ahead.

Waiting on Ellie

It's 11:15 AM on September 16, 2010 and we are gathered at Baptist East Hospital in Montgomery, AL waiting on Ellie's arrival. Louise is 9 CM (if you aren't so old, like me that you don't get the metric system) and fully effaced. We have been told that Ellie should be here within a couple of hours! Louise has ben amazing! She has been able to sleep through a lot of the contractions and is doing great!

Dirt and his folks are here with us and Laurie, Leigh and Michelle Bond (coulda, shoulda been our 4th or 5th daughter :) ) and Jamie and me waiting to be kicked out of the L & D room. We got her a door hanger that will soon announce Ellie's arrival.

Samantha just got here to visit with her soon to be second cousin :)

I hope the party isn't getting too loud in here! But hopefully this afternoon I can describe what it feels like to be a grandfather, married to a grandmother!

Keep us in your prayers! More news later!

Quite a Month...Already

It is just September 5 but this has been and promises to be a most eventful month. On Wednesday we met Laurie, Leigh and Mom in Birmingham and got the good news that Laurie was recovering from the kidney donation very well and that everything was normal and healthy. Then we got to eat lunch with a very healthy and vibrant Janet and Chuck at the Cheesecake Factory. What a thrill to see her doing so well and to think about the sacrifice that Laurie made to have it happen. That is a blessing for Laurie and Janet that is a blessing to the world. Love those two fine Christian ladies!
Laurie and our family have been so blessed and overwhelmed by the love shown her by the University church of Christ. It is amazing how much they have cared for her during this period of recovery. That is one of the great congregations in our brotherhood and what wonderful elders lead that family of believers. I cannot express my gratitude and love for them enough.
Yesterday after a Bible study, I was blessed to take Kevin Hartline to Lookout Creek and baptize him on a beautiful fall afternoon after a Bible study at Helen and Sonny O'Dell's home. His brother, Gary Morgan and his mom, Faye Morgan had both talked to him and Helen and her family had been encouraging him. It was a great day for them and me. After he was baptized, he went back to their house and told Sonny, his uncle, who is under Hospice care and in the very late stages, that he had been baptized. I don't know if Sonny could respond but feel sure he heard and was proud.
The Trenton church of Christ has been so good to Helen and Sonny during his illness and it has had such an impact on so many of their family and friends. They may have various religious backgrounds but they are all impressed by the number of visitors and level of love shown to the O'Dell's by the Christians at Trenton.
Today and in less than three weeks, Lord willing, I will fill two responsibilities that I have prayed aboutfor a number of years. In about 4 hours, I will join Don Puryear, Buddy McKenzie and Chris Gerber as the newly appointed elders of the Trenton church of Christ. This has been one of the things I have prayed about and worked toward since we visited the congregation 7 years ago this month. It overwhelms me with the responsibility and thrills me to see this fine family move back to scriptural organization. I am so blessed with the caliber of men who will be serving as shepherds with me. They are great men who are students of the Bible, who pray devoutly and love the Christians in Trenton and around the world. They have a deep concern for lost souls and I am so honored to be considered with them. Today at the installation service for the new eldership, Leigh and Nathan and his mom and sister are coming up. Wish that Laurie and Louise and Dirt and Mom and Dad could be here but they all have other very important obligations as well but I know that I am in each of their thoughts and prayers, as I hope I am all who may read this.
Finally, September 22 or there about will bring me a name change! I've been called a lot of things but none will be any sweeter than to be a grandpa. Louise and Dirt should be holding Ellie by then and I can't wait to meet that little gal! Her aunts are already spoiling her and I can't wait to get to watch her grow. She is blessed with wonderful parents and a godly heritage that few children are blessed with. I am so excited about watching her interact in this family and seeing us interact with her.
What a blessed month September has already been and promises to be! Obviously it is going to be a month where, as always, I'll need your prayers! Thanks for them!

What a day for grandparents.....excited and waiting

Grand Parent....that sounds a little daunting and old and respectful.
I haven't blogged in 9 months or so and a lot has happened since then. I have left the radio station morning show and really haven't missed it yet (not for any reason, except, it starts at 6:00 in the morning). I am now selling insurance part time and it seems to be off to a good start after training in Montgomery. But the best news is that we learned in January that Louise and Dirt will be parents and that Jamie and I will be grandparents!
Today we got the call and Lousie told us the their first will be Elizabeth Louise and she is slated to arrive in late September! I guess we will need a little practice and work to get ready for Lizzie Lou to arrive. (Early reports are that her mom and dad are going to call her Ellie, but Jamie and I thought Leigh was going to be called Donna, but her GinGin said, "You have a LaLa, LouLou and this is LeighLeigh!" Well the rest is history and LeighLeigh seems to have been the right choice all along.:) SInce Laurie and Leigh aree going with Lizzie Lou, it just might stick!)
This afternoon I have had a lot to do but since 3:45 my mind has been busy remembering how much joy three little girls brought to our house and praying that Ellie/Lizzie Lou will bring as much love and life to the Jones' house as her mother and sisters did to ours. It seems so strange how quickly things have come full circle.
Then as I tried to concentrate on a couple of proposals I have to make tomorrow, I couldn't help but wonder and think ahead about how Lizzie Lou's life will be and the joy her mom and dad will feel. I also am so proud for her to have such wonderful Christian parents. (That is not biased, I am going on what I have read on Facebook:) about those two!) I must too say I have been thinking about how much joy and excitement that she will bring to Jamie and me!
I wonder about the world she will live in and know there are lots of challenges but I am so confident and thankful that she will have the advantages of a godly mom and dad and two wonderful aunts who live near and will at times be a little over the top, but they have learned from great examples about how to love those nieces and two sets of grandparents who will know she is the best baby ever! Most of all I continue to pray for her and be excited about this great step for Louise and Dirt. They have a great responsibility but I am sure they are up to the job and Laurie, Leigh, Jamie and me are really going to enjoy our part in this adventure as I am sure that Dirt's folks and family will too.
Now I'm not really sure that I am old enough, daunting enough but I do feel respectful of the glory that God shows in every birth! But I do look forward to the excitement of the ride as a GRANDFATHER and the benefit to the world that this sweet little girl will bring!
God bless, Lizzie Lou! Arrive safely and thanks for the love you already have brought to the world and will receive!

100 Things I:m Thankful For!

100 Things I’m Thankful For
I have recently gotten a “Facebook” page and one of the things I see a lot are "20 things about _____ you didn’t know” or something like that.
For several years I’ve seen the challenge to write down 100 things for which you are grateful. Some have listed a person in their family and then ten things about them for which they are grateful. Then they might list the church and ten more things, etc. Some list several people, then several places, and then things. Some list ten blessings they have seen each day for 10 days. Isn't it wonderful that when we follow Christ's example of gratitude, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me" our love for God and people grows, aiding us in our endeavour to be humble (Jn 11:41). We cannot be faithful to God while failing to show gratitude. "Pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1Thes 5:17-18).
Here are a few things, certainly not comprehensive and not even 100, for which I am grateful. I am thankful for my 3rd grade teacher, Miss Rector, and those Sunday afternoons with no meetings. I am thankful for in-laws, for friends who are as close as family and for family with whom I’m friends. I’m thankful to have grown up in great congregations like Wingate, Laurel Ave., Plaza, Dasher and Quitman .
I am thankful for the humility gained from a difficult break up when in college, for coaching a state finals basketball loss and for coaching a state basketball finals win! I’m thankful for sometimes feeling left out, for sometimes feeling I’m fitting in, for feeling appreciated and for at times, feeling unappreciated. I am thankful for the feeling and smell of a freshly cut yard (even when just part of it's cut-when Last Rites are given to my mower :( ). I am thankful for the Sunday hugs, especially from the little ones! I am grateful for unexpected cards and notes. I am thankful for Trenton, the town and the congregation, the schools, the library, restaurants, and Cloudland Canyon State Park.
I am thankful for God's love and forgiveness. I am thankful for new members at Trenton and those who have been faithful here so many years. For our great young people and those who have been young for longer times! I am thankful for the graduates we will honor tonight.
I am thankful for Jamie's beauty; both inside and out and her unwavering love for me. A kiss from my daughters and my parents’ love. Laurie’s love of family and the Philippines, Louise's calm sense of listening ability and loving smile and Dustin's first son in law “fit-in-ability” (is that a word? He is though, a great addition and blessing to our family) and his willingness to help and Leigh’s exuberance for life and commitment to Christian Education especially at Faulkner.
I am thankful for people who have been far better to me than I deserved in Orange Park, FL, Jasper, FL, Blakely, GA, Lineville, AL, and Trenton. And lessons I’ve learned.
This wasn’t 100 but it sure made me feel better and more thankful! I’m gonna keep working on mine. What about you? Why don’t you try a list of your own? I can assure you, it’ll make you feel better!

A NEW WEEK...WELL NEEDED AND ANTICIPATED!

Last week was filled with great opportunities and great challenges. There were some mountain top moments and some deep valleys too! But I suppose that is what makes up life.

On Monday, one of our dear friends at church got the news that her 37 year old brother in law passed away. Steven was a great Christian man with two children, Pierce and Peyton, and a beautiful wife, Michelle. Less than a month ago he had aevere leg cramp and when he got up to 'walk it off'' he had a seizure. It was determined that he had a brain tumor. Two weeks ago he had a biopsy to determine the extent of it and treatment options. A blood clot from it hemmorhaged in his brain and he was gone. We attended his funeral on Thursday.

Friday night we attended the annual fundraiser for the Chattanooga Inner City Ministry with two close friends and had a wonderfu time. Saturday morning, I got a call and found out that Charles was in the hospital and ended up in ICU with panceatitis. And really painful! Thankfully it appeared last night that he was some better.

We are also going through the Hospice experience with Gary and his lovely wife, Betty. In the last two weeks, breast cancer has really taken it's toll on her. She lost tremendous amounts of weight and now has become less and less coherent. It is really hard to watch everyday, but she is a great reminder of God's promises. As a faithful Christian she has been a powerful example of faith and trust in God.

Of course, not only is it tough on Betty but Gary is one of my closest friends and to go through this with him and her children reminds every day of looking forward to a land of no pain and suffering and death........

One of my favorite ladies at church, Sister Carson, has been battling internal bleeding and AVM since last year and has recieved 30 pints of blood since March 3, 2009! She has a great attitude but is currently in Vanderbilt and has endured numerous procedures and continues to suffer.

Our prayers continue to be with these folks and thier families and I would ask you to also.

The one blessing that God gives that always seems to come at the right time is sunshine and a rainbow in our souls after a stormy period! While there were some storms last week, there were some brilliant periods of sunshine, too!

It was Mother's Day weekend and Louise and Leigh, along with Dirt and Nathan were in town for the weekend and having the kids in town just brings renewed life and joy to an empty nest! They were a joy to have home and next week Laurie is coming so she can help me cover 'The Best of Preps" banquet in Chattanooga. She is going to be my photogarapher (by the way, Michael Phelps is the guest speaker, so it was really hard to get her help :).

Last night just before church time, Mom and Dad came in and spent the night. Jamie had corsage for Mom and we have birthday party planned for Dad on the last weekend of the month as Samantha our neice graduates from high school.

So the weekend brought lots of family and ended an emotional week with positives and the promise of better things this week.

Dad will have follow up laser surgery on a cataract today and then they are heading on to Nashville to see their sisters.

We'll get our week started as we head toward our 29th annual Tri-State singing on Frinday night at Trenton. If you have never been, it is a wonderful singing and do our ladies ever put out a spread of food, so come on if you can!