11/26/07 UPDATE

I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving! Ours went well, even though our kitchen sink stopped up during the preparation of the meal. We had to wash all the dishes in the laundry room sink! Fun stuff. We did get a little snow last week, which was a new twist for Thanksgiving. It was also Jacqueline's birthday, so we had a festive day all the way around.

Our crowd was down yesterday, as expected. We had 21 (16/5). The holidays are going to be challenging, but I think they will go well. We are planning a church-wide dinner on the 16th. We're also working to help a local mission as they collect gifts for families who could use a little help over Christmas. We'll be trying to collect sippy cups to be part of a package for the toddlers. Last year, this ministry, Mission for All Nations, ministered to 300 families which had 750 children. The initial response to the invitation seemed to be good.

We're also focusing on the Lottie Moon Christmas offering. I gave my usual challenge - try to give the same amount to the offering that you spend on your family for Christmas. I'm not sure how many have responded through the years, but it has been a good principle to keep our family balanced at Christmas. We figure that Jesus is the point of the holiday, so shouldn't he receive the majority of the focus.

One concern is that through this we discussed our connection with the Southern Baptist Convention. I know this is a concern for a few people, mainly because they don't know what a Baptist is other than some of the goofy stuff they hear on tv. I'll be talking through it with some people in the coming days, so pray for us in that respect.

We had another encouraging discussion with a church from Kansas last week about the possibility of parnership for next year. We'll be meeting in the coming weeks to discuss it - do we feel led to partner together? How will it work? At what level will they be involved, etc.? Please pray for guidance as we talk through it.

I also received a bill for my Doctor of Minsitry work last week. I'm at the point where I have to pay $500 every six months to extend it. I'm trying to get focused on that and see if I can get the thesis completed in the next year. It will be really trying to add that to the plate, so I'm not sure if I can/will/need to do it at this point. Will you pray for guidance for me?

Lastly, but most importantly, I want to ask you to pray for Jacqueline this week. She will be undergoing her third surgical procedure of the year on Wednesday (28th). This is the most invasive of the three and she is concerned about it. Please pray for her health and quick recovery. Also pray for us as it always adds more stress to the mix when mother is out of commission.