Monday, January 28, 2008







First of all, if anyone wants to download the message that Rick Burgess had at his son's memorial, Rick has asked that anyone anywhere feel free to download, copy and distribute as many copies as possible. This is not his message, it is God's message and it is the hope of the Burgess family that as many people as possible hear this and that the Spirit of God would open as many hearts as possible to hear this.

I have finished as much of the reindeer as I can at this time! Yay!! I am waiting for a few more beads and charms to get to me through the mail, hoping that they get here tomorrow and I will put the finishing touches on it. Here are a couple of pictures:









So I have started the next project. This one is for Moses David and Makenna Grace McNutt (they can sort it out when they are grown up and start having children!). Since they are too young to be reading, I can go ahead and post all the info! This is another Mary Englebreit but should be a bit less intense than the reindeer. It will be a cover for the rocking chair that their Mama, our dear Kelly, has had since she was a little girl. It is supposed to be stitched over black 28 count Jobelan linen. I bought the linen and my friend Susan went ahead and serged it for me, and I started stitching yesterday. After about 10 stitches....on black 28 count linen....I had a raging headache. So I have decided to use 14 count Aida and stitch over one instead of two. And my head is much better today! Tomorrow I will post a picture of what the final design should look like and might even have a enough finished to take a picture of the work in progress.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

I am trying to make a link to the message Rick Burgess gave on Tuesday, January 22 at the memorial for his son, Bronner. Hopefully this will work!
http://216.69.161.56/audio/BronnerMemorial-RicksMsg.mp3
I would encourage anyone who might read this to go to the website, Rickandbubba.com and listen to the message God gave through Rick at Bronner's memorial service on Tuesday. When we can step aside and let God speak through us, great things can be done.
Please lift up a young man, Joshua, who is dealing with a lot of problems. Joshua is a teenager whose mother is suffering a life-threatening illness. He has two younger siblings and his father has to be on the road most days with work. The family knows the Lord Jesus and trusts in Him to take care of their needs. The mother is at peace with whatever God brings her to. But Josh is having a very hard time right now.
Finally, here are a few pictures of the snow we had last Wednesday. What a surprise! Within 5 minutes of taking these pictures it was completely gone, but it sure was pretty coming down!

Delight yourself in the LORD and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4




Tuesday, January 22, 2008

I'm re-reading Tolkein's Lord of the Rings. This time, I'll read for a while, then watch some of the movie, then read some more. Tolkein is so quotable! This one struck me today. It is where Frodo and Sam are in the valley of Mordor on the last stage of their quest to destroy the ring. Sam is watching while Frodo sleeps, and sees high above them a star.

"The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach. His song in the Tower had been defiance rather than hope; for then he was thinking of himself. Now, for a moment, his own fate, and even his master's, ceased to trouble him. He crawled back into the brambles and laid himself by Frodo's side, and putting away all fear he cast himself into a deep untroubled sleep"
Just a couple of thoughts today as I continue to think about and pray for Rick and Sherri. First, I keep hearing people talk about how strong Rick is, and I fear that some folks may let down their prayer guard on Rick and Sherri (and the rest of the family)'s behalf. When Satan attacks, he tries so hard to open a door of opportunity for future attacks. As Rick and Sherri's spiritual family, we have a responsibility to help slam that door shut on Satan's face through our prayers. I realize that because there are a lot of things I don't do anymore (and I am struggling physically this week as a result of having taken too much upon myself and trying to do some things that I know I am not supposed to do!), I have a lot more time to devote to prayer. But all God's children are called to intercessory prayer! It is one of our most important tasks, and it is a privilege and an honor to take part in God's work in this way.
Secondly, as I am listening to Bubba and Speedy on air this morning, they are talking with James Spann and Scott Dawson. These are mighty men of God who work hard to speak God's Truth at every opportunity. Scott Dawson made the most wonderful statement to a woman who called in to talk about grief and dealing with loss (she had lost a 2 year old nephew). He said that as Christians, we are called to respond to these things not by saying, "What if?", but by saying, "Now then." I love that!
Pray hard. Keep your eyes on Jesus.

Monday, January 21, 2008

On Sunday morning, Mark and I received the word of the death of William Bronner Burgess. It was a gut-punch! Mark and I immediately prayed for Rick and Sherri, their children, and the rest of the members of the Rick and Bubba show. We sat in dismay, just trying to absorb the shock. Then we went to church. When we arrived, we received our bulletin and the following was this week's Pastor's letter from Pastor Bill. This was written on Thursday morning but because of Bill's obedience to the Spirit, was a huge help on Sunday morning! I have received his permission to reprint this here and I hope that it will be a help and encouragement and blessing to many others, whether you are mourning Bronner's death, or dealing with some other obstacle in your life.

Dear Grace Family and Friends,
I trust that you "cold weather buffs" enjoyed the snow Wednesday night! I'll confess that it was beautiful even though I'm glad it didn't hang around. When the temperature goes below 40, I just want to hibernate and wait for spring. Doing so, however, steals the potential joy that comes from making each day count for "the cause of Christ". So, like it or not, I bundle up and press on even in the cold. There's a great spiritual lesson to be learned from the weather. Each of us faces similarly unpleasant circumstances at times. It might be related to our family or our finances; it might be the result of our health or our hobbies; it might involve our friends or foes. Most people find "conflict" so entirely distasteful we'll go to any lengths to avoid it. But what about the blessing God intends for us as He shows Himself Mighty in the midst of the struggle. If we truly believe The Scripture, we can't eliminate or overlook Romans 8:28; "all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are the called according to His purpose" We have God's Promise that He is doing something special in our lives, even amid frustrating circumstances. So whether it's an unreasonable boss or an unexpected ice storm; "all things" really means all things! As such, God's Children must learn to face each circumstance in life with an unwavering faith that refuses to be discouraged or defeated. How do we get there from here? By simply doing it! We must determine in advace to see opportunities for God's Glory to be revealed in us rather than obstacles to knock us off track. It's not easy but it's possible by faith in Jesus Christ! The question we answer every single day is whether or not we are willing! Think about that when your storms come. May God Richly Bless You As You Strive To Do His Will! I love you!
Pastor Bill


It is never enough to just "endure"; that is not what God calls us to do. It would usually be easier, but that is not God's desire for His children.

Sunday, January 20, 2008

First, and most importantly, please pray for the Burgess family. Rick and Sherri Burgess are dealing with the death of their youngest, Bronner. Please hold them up in prayer over the next days, weeks, months and years (if you have lost a child or are close to someone who has, you know that no one ever "gets over it"). For the moment, I think that is all I am going to write.

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Romans 12:15
For I will turn their mourning into joy And will comfort them and give them joy for their sorrow. Jeremiah 31:13
Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His godly ones. Psalm 116:15