Bible in 90 Days

We finished!  Welles and I completed our goal of reading the Bible in 90 days, and we couldn't feel more accomplished.  I love that we were able to read together and encourage each other.  On day 90, I had about 3.5 days worth to read and Welles had about 5 days to read.  Thankfully, Daniel took two long naps so that we could finish. 

The neatest thing about this challenge is that as we were going through some tough and uncertain times (Daniel's sickness, our own illnesses, job transitions, etc.), we were comforted by God's word.  This was no easy feat - most of the readings took 45 minutes to an hour each day, but we learned that giving that time to studying God's word was satisfying. 

I would encourage anyone who is interested to check out the program and consider it.  The site that we followed, Mom's Toolbox, will be hosting another session in January.  Amy sets you up with a mentor (our mentor was friend and neighbor Kristin Solomon), and posts almost daily on the reading material for that day.  Having a mentor to check in on us and offer encouragement was very helpful.  Especially during those "sick" times when doing anything in a timely manner seemed impossible. 

from the Message translation:

Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out. Ephesians 6:13



The word that saves is right here, as near as the tongue in your mouth, as close as the heart in your chest. It's the word of faith that welcomes God to go to work and set things right for us. Romans 10:4

Below are a few pictures of Daniel from early September.

Bible in 90 days

With encouragement from our friend Kristin Solomon and Mom's Toolbox, Welles and I are going to do our best to read the Bible in 90 days.  I tried a few months ago, but with a 3.5 month old, it was nearly impossible to do.  Feel free to join the challenge, pray for us, and ask, "How's it going?" over the next 90 days!  We will definitely need your prayers.

2010 UAB Spring Commencement

I am so proud of this man!

This is BIG!  Today Welles graduated, and I have never been so proud of anyone!  If you haven't guessed, this is the big news that I was referring to a few posts ago.

Congratulations, Welles!

I was able to help with directing parts of the ceremony, and it was so much fun to be behind the scenes for graduation.

100th Post

For the 100th post, I must announce that something BIG is coming! Something for which so many people are happy about. And proud. And relieved. And nervous. And even a little sad; but a happy-kind of sad.

More information to come!

Congratulations Welles!

About a year ago, Welles told me that he planned to run the half-marathon in the Mercedes Marathon 2010. Today, he fulfilled that statement! I am so proud of Welles and all of the work that went into preparing for this race.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12:1

Good News

Just a few days before Christmas in 2009,

A gift will be delivered, but not by Santa this time!

A precious baby, a gift from above;

A sweet little blessing for us to love.

We don't know yet if it is a girl or a boy;

But we know this child will bring so much joy!

So whether or not we buy pinks or blues,

Rejoice with us as we share this good news!

The Lord is Good!

If you know me (Sherry) at all, you know that I am notorious for losing things. I lose things weekly and sometimes daily. Many times the things I lose are unimportant--like the earring that I just cannot seem to find. Sometimes the things I lose are a BIG deal. For example, exactly one week before our wedding, I lost an entire set of keys. I remember the day clearly. It was the day I went to pick up my shoes and dress in downtown Homewood. I stopped in a couple of stores to check out bridesmaid gifts. By the time I got back to my car, the keys were gone. I went back to every kind store owner and the keys were nowhere to be found. I had a spare car key, thank goodness, but to this day I have not found the keys that were part of my life before Welles and I got married.

Life goes on. I don't lose my keys very often anymore, because I have developed a system. Today I lost the passport that I had gotten in the mail less than a week ago.

I have never owned a passport. I have been to Mexico and Canada, but in those days you didn't need a passport. Well, we are going on a cruise to celebrate our 5th Anniversary next month, and I went to the post office about a month ago to get a passport. (Side note: be wise like Welles and not foolish like me...if you live in Birmingham, go to the Vestavia Post Office and not the Downtown Post Office. You will save yourself at least an hour and a lot of frustration!) Mine came in the mail a week ago, and I remember seeing it on the cafe table in our kitchen all week. I would look at it sometimes, think, "what a dumb picture," put it back in the envelope that the post office sent me and go on about my day.

Something today told me to put it in the safe. I went to the cafe table, and...where is my passport? I went through the mail stack in the kitchen...no passport. Now my heart is starting to race, "Lord, please help me find my passport," and "Where could it be? Where did I put it?" I looked around for at least 45 minutes. emptied the kitchen trash and sifted through it (it wasn't too bad b/c Welles took the trash out this AM). "Oh no! The trash people came today! Heavenly Father, please do not let it be in the garbage that the trash people took!" Poor Missy was getting anxious, too. I know she would have helped me look if she only knew what a passport was.

Frenzied...near tears...wondering how in the world I will get another in time for our trip...where is my passport...In here? In my dresser? Nope...It was in the cabinet in our office, and I do not for the life remember putting it there.
Losing something that is semi-valuable reminded me of a story from Luke 15 that our Journey group read a few months ago. See below, and although it seems silly, please friends, rejoice with me for finding my passport!

Luke 15
The Parable of the Lost Coin

⁸"Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? ⁹And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' ¹⁰In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

The Missing Piece

On Sunday, Welles and I went to "Worship in the Chapel" at Dawson. Tim Simpson was standing in for Todd Harrington, and really preached an excellent sermon that I think we all can relate to this time of year. He started the sermon by handing out puzzle pieces to each person in the congregation. He talked about how the most exciting part of finishing a large puzzle is getting to the last few pieces, and inevitably, one piece is missing when it comes to the very end of the puzzle. However, in relation to our Christian walk, we need to recognize that Jesus offers the Peace that we may be missing in our lives. The sermon revolved around the following verses:

• Isaiah 9:6 "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
  
• Philippians 4:6-7 reads, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
  
• Romans 5:1 states, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Tim talked about how hard it can be to accept the Peace of God and to give thanks in times of trouble--when everything seems to be crumbling around you. He shared that there was a fire in his family home when he was a sophomore in high school, and even as his house burned to the ground, he was able to give thanks (that he and his family got out safely, that he was awakened as the fire started and able to wake his parents and sister, that the fire was not at his elderly neighbor's home as she would not have been able to get out easily, etc.) He talked about how in that time of trouble, he felt the Peace of God. God's peace is available to all of us, and he wants us to seek Him.

We did not send out Christmas Cards this year, but we would like to wish all of you a Merry Christmas! May you experience God's Peace as you celebrate the birth of His Son.

Wayside Cross at Camp Winnataska