The Great Philosopher

PHILOSOPHER—“a person who offers views or theories on profound questions in ethics, metaphysics, logic, and other related fields.”

If you are like me, you have been amazed by the great insights and interesting writings of Joseph James Ouellette. He just seems to have intriguing views and theories on the profound questions of life. Hence, the title of this post, “The Great Philosopher.” (And this paragraph is seriously written. I do enjoy his writing.) I have had the opportunity to scroll through some amazing pictures from the past on my computer. By using Photo Booth we have brought out the inward personality of our friends. These photos have given me much laughter each time I see them. Some of these pictures are of our very own profound professor of unique knowledge— so I thought I would share with you.

First off, we have a picture that explains why Joseph has such deep insights into our world. He is nosy; or should I say, an investigator of knowledge. And with a nose like this....

Our great philosopher is always ready and willing to share a laugh at the absurdity of the political left.

We must be very careful not to let him get out of hand in the folly of laughter
lest THE GREAT VEIN burst from his forehead!

I think these photos provide such a potpourri of who Joseph really is.
This is why we all love him and his diverse views.
(Joseph, go get a space heater. Summer is still several months away.)

A good day.

Today was a good day.

The worship was heartfelt. We used the two McClain girls pictured at the left. Taqueria (left) is 19 and Phylicia is 16. They were so excited to sing. We practiced after church Wednesday night and met at 9am this morning. One of the great things about it for me is that Phylicia can sing most of the songs in tenor. YEAH! I can LEAD worship - not having to sing every word! I could get used to that again.

The Word of God hit the mark. There was a great conviction and response. The altar service set some lives back on the right course.

I can't help but believe that our Men's Prayer and Breakfast had something to do with the solid feel of the service. I don't really know how to explain it, but maybe you can catch what I am saying. There was a completeness to the move of the Spirit.

In our bulletin today is a picture of a bobsled team in the midst of a run. It was used to point out that we have been called to a great adventure - as a team. If you have ever seen a bobsled team in action, you know that it is quite a team effort. God has already set us into motion, but we must all do our part. We are headed somewhere...we must gently maneuver this body of believers in the right direction. In a small church, just as the bobsled team, when one person moves in a wrong direction it quickly effects the whole operation! Each person has a mission to fulfill and we have to function in unity with every move. Together we are going to see the work done.

Last week, I was told by a senior member of the mother church that as they looked across the congregation at us, they were impressed that God had something beyond our wildest dreams planned and to keep believing.

I just have to say, "Thank you, Lord, for staying close and sending encouragement right when we need it. Thank you, Lord, for a good day!"

An exciting link...the Watts Family

We received an email from Jason and Karisha Watts, David and Kay Gilbert's son-in-law and daughter, letting us know that they had visited our website. In the email they included their church's web address. It was really neat to see what God has done in Franklin, North Carolina in the four years since they have been there. They just completed a Church-In-A-Day project, and I think it was the first one to be constructed in North Carolina! Bro. and Sis. Gilbert took their food trailer that they use at the Texas Church-In-A-Day projects to help out.Many of you have known Karisha for a long time, so I thought you might find this interesting! One of the things I found really interesting was…

"Since coming to Franklin, she has learned to play the keyboard, something she tried all her life but never could do! Now each service she leads in music and song the spirited worship at TRUTH."

When God calls and we answer...He provides the way. Our prayers are with them for continued revival!

That's MY President

As I listened to President Bush give the State of the Union address Tuesday night, I was again reminded of what an awesome country we live in. I may not agree with him on everything, but that's beside the point. He has taken a stand for what he believes is right and has not backed down in the face of strong adversity. You have to admire a man who stands up for his beliefs and who is not afraid to be a Christian in the White House.

I am proud to be an American, and I am proud to call George W. Bush MY President!

I've included several of my favorite pictures of President Bush. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

A chuckle...

A vendor transports poultry to a market in Xiangfan,
central China's Hubei province on January 22, 2007.

I got a chuckle out of looking at this picture I pulled off of a newswire! I got to thinking about these vendors trying to explain to someone how hard their job was. It would be quite a feat to keep these birds on this vehicle!! It looks like some of them may be dead already, but many of them look alert and anticipating a chance for freedom. Any bump would be a major cause for concern! I don't imagine it is a peaceful ride to the market. Whatever your job is, thank God. It could be worse...

Our First Youth Activity and Today's Service

Bonnie, Taqueria, Phylicia, Hannah and Cheyanne

We had a great time of fun and getting to know each other at our first youth activity. There were 10 young people present. We played card games, ping-pong, and sang around the piano. Today, we heard great comments about how much fun they had!

We are not as young as we were last time we worked with youth — but we're IT again! It was fun though. We discovered that several of the girls were in our Crusader Camp Choirs when they were young! They remember me handing out dollars to those who were really getting into worshipping. They also remembered why I handed them out. Some things DO stick.

You should have heard them when they sang around the piano- WOW - they were loud! We will be using some of them in church soon! In fact, we are planning practices now.

We had 25 in church today. There were 4 regulars out, but Todd, Julie, Madison and Mason Shahan from Wichita Falls joined us in service and filled in for the missing ones! It was good to see them, spend lunch together and visit for a while. We have new friends, but there is still nothing like the 'old' ones!

This coming Saturday is our Men's Prayer and Breakfast. The guys are looking forward to this event and I believe it will build unity. We made a few updates to our website about the Youth, Men's and Ladies' events. Our bulletin is also available on the website each week.

If you know someone in the Austin area that needs contacting, please let us know.

Chad, Cameron, Phillip (not pictured—Josh and Jake)

Flashpoints

I am in the process of reading the book, "Flashpoints" by Stephen Arterburn. It is not a new book, but one that I was attracted to because of the subtitle— "When God ignites the passion of your soul to make a difference— no matter what the cost."

I came across a passage that I thought I would share with you:

"Some of us are called to church ministry. Others are called to the workaday world or to serve their families at home. But regardless of where we are, we will be among people who either need to be told or reminded that God is alive and all-powerful. And whatever God calls us to do, He will equip us for service—even if it requires Him to work miracles of provision. Even then we might be tempted to shrink back and make excuses."

But Moses pleaded with the Lord, "O Lord, I'm just not a good speaker. I never have been, and I'm not now, even after you have spoken to me. I'm clumsy with words."
"Who makes mouths?" the Lord asked him. "Who makes people so they can speak or not speak, hear or not hear, see or not see? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go, and do as I have told you. I will help you speak well, and I will tell you what to say."
But Moses again pleaded, "Lord, please! Send someone else."
Then the Lord became angry with Moses. "All right," He said. "What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? He is a good speaker. And look! He is on his way to meet you now. And when he sees you, he will be very glad. You will talk to him, giving him the Words to say. I will help both of you to speak clearly, and I will tell you what to do. Aaron will be your spokesman to the people, and you will be as God to Him, telling him what to say. And be sure to take your shepherd's staff along so you can perform the miraculous signs I have shown you." EXODUS 4:10-17

"Can you imagine arguing with God the way Moses did? In light of the miraculous burning bush, his resistance is hard to imagine. Yet we all defy God every day, arguing with the Almighty about changes we need to make or opportunities we ought to take. We just don't resist Him as honestly as Moses did. Instead, we ignore, deny, rationalize, and excuse ourselves from the things God calls us to do. We declare ourselves not worthy or ill-equipped. We buy into the false belief that God can use us only on the basis of our qualifications, rather than in spite of our weaknesses."

This is so true. What is God calling us to do? What are we ignoring? It is easy to point a finger at Moses and say, "You had a burning bush experience! What's your problem?" Yet, when we hear a Word from the Lord, we are quick to dismiss it. We should strive to respond at His first call and not hesitate until He is angry with us. Think about where we could be if we followed Him without question. He already has a vision of it in His mind.

Whatever He says - DO IT - in spite of your weaknesses! That is when He is made strong.

And the ice goes on....

Well, here we sit.

The boys and I haven't left the house since Sunday night. Gene went to the store Monday evening then went to check the roads and sidewalks around the church today. We are not able to have church tonight!! How disappointing. We were supposed to have a new family there and another visitor that we knew of - but God knows all about it. Everyone will definitely be ready for church on Sunday!!

Just an update for those of you who are keeping up with our lives here in Pflugerville. Have a great day and good church tonight! Love you all!

New Video on Website

Here's the latest addition to our church website. It is a short video with a clip from our Sunday worship service. It actually was a song we sang after the other praise singers had gone to pray with people in the crowd. Also, there are pictures in order from the time we arrived here with "The Great Adventure" song behind it. Thanks to Dad for bringing his camera with him for service this past weekend. Hopefully, we can add some others as time goes along!

OK - so WE are iced in now!

The boys were out of school today in honor of Martin Luther King Day and they are now out of school tomorrow for a "weather" day. Many of the overpasses and bridges are completely iced over and closed here. So, we will be here at the house like all of you in North Texas for at least tomorrow. Unfortunately, we don't have a fireplace (that you have praised so much). We will gather around a space heater and pretend! Pray that all the trees in this area don't fall on power lines! We heard on the radio that it has been 10 years since they have been iced in here. The Texas Governor's Inauguration is this week! I just read that the parade has been called off and the ceremony has been moved indoors.

I made a trip to the store down the street before it totally froze over and saw a bad wreck right near our house. I always get a feeling in the pit of my stomach when I see that scene, just remembering the feelings of a bad car wreck. Thank the Lord I made it to the store and back safely. We have so many things to be thankful for....

The Peeking is no more....

Can you guess who these fine young ladies are? They are peeking over the wall behind the platform. As of this weekend, this is no longer possible! The orange divider had to be pushed all the way to the back wall. The refrigerator, microwave, small oven, coffee makers, mop bucket, 6 folding tables, glass display case and much more had to be moved out.

As I said in a previous post, Dad and Mom came down on Thursday and we worked Friday and Saturday getting it all in order for today. We cut the platform down and used part of it to put the drums and bass on. It is only about 4 inches high, so I decided to get it out of the way. The pulpit is now at the same level as the chairs and it really allows more room for everything else up front. Chad is especially excited about this change - he thinks it is really cool to have his own elevated area with Cameron and his bass! We also added another monitor speaker and a connection to record our services/messages.

We got a new flower arrangement for in front of the pulpit and one the ladies who has been here from the beginning said we must have read her mind. She left last week thinking, "We need to get something else to go in front of that pulpit. Those old yellow flowers have been there since the beginning of this church." So today, she was so excited! The new arrangement is nothing tremendous, but it is a more classy look.

We had 24 in service today. The Lord worked in lives as we sang for a while and then I spoke on hungering after righteousness. It was a lingering worship time— something we are just now starting to have. It takes a little while for people to "gel" together and relax in their worship. I feel it happening.

There was a letter of intent filed this week for a piece of property. There will now be a feasibility study. Continue to pray. I talked with Bro. Bernard tonight and we will be looking for another storefront location to move in the next couple months, giving us growing room. We are looking at approximately a year to complete a building. I really don't think this current location is going to hold us very much longer.

Be in prayer for Melvin and Lisa Reddy, some of our friends, who are starting a new work in Cedar Park (another suburb of Austin). They have been having home fellowships for about 4 months and will be starting Sunday morning services on January 27th in a school gym. They have several that they are working with and some from the Bernard's who will be helping them on Sunday's. They will be moving their stuff (chairs, musical and sound equipment) in and out each week. They asked for our prayers tonight.

Just like the girls in the picture above, I see great things peeking over the horizon of 2007! I sense great Revival coming ! I have an interest in seeing it happen here in Pflugerville, as well as; Wichita Falls, Hollister, Quitman, Bullard, Burkburnett, Ranger, Austin, Cedar Park, Calgary, Lawton, Minerva, Logan, Rialto, San Jose, Fort Worth, Euless- - why not the whole world!

Quick Update

We had 28 (new record) in service on a Wednesday night! We are so excited. We had 5 brand-new guests and 4 returns! The little Chinese Tea House had to really turn up their music tonight while we worshipped! The men had to pull out chairs as everyone began pouring in! Dad will be here tomorrow to help me move things around to fit more in. The older couple who I posted about on Sunday have joined our church as members with their former Pastor's blessing. They are so sweet.

Just thought you might want to hear a little more good news.

Once a Fan, Always a Fan!!

For those of you who continue to badger me about the Cowboys let me set the record straight. Yes - I am a Dallas Cowboys fan - win or lose. I began following the Cowboys around 1978! I don't know why - it was just the thing to do if you lived in Dallas - but then I really began to learn about the game and became a real fan. They've been through a lot of ups and downs through the years, but they are still the Dallas Cowboys and I am still a fan. Yes - I know they had a heartbreaking loss on Saturday night, but you really must consider they made it a whole lot further than most people ever expected this year. There is always next year - and I will still be rooting for them - win or lose. They are MY TEAM!!

Saddle up your horses....

We’ve got a trail to blaze!

Today began our 2007 Adventure. We had 24 in service today and a great move of the Spirit. God brought us an older Apostolic couple who touched me today. He had a stroke a little while back and have not been attending anywhere because he was not able. They came last Sunday and then returned this week early for prayer. Their deep prayers could be heard this morning before service. His looks, tears, and calling upon God remind me so much of Grandpa Holley. The Spirit ministered to me during that time of prayer in a very special way. I received so much strength. And believe me, those are monumental moments in a home missions situation. After service, they told one of our men who helped them to the car that when they walked in last Sunday, they knew this was home.

So, with 24 in attendance, we are close to being out of room again! We are planning to move some furniture, that is not needed, out of the building this week. This, coupled with moving our platform around, will make more room for seating. You should see the faces of the original members that were here when we came - they are so excited. There are only 3 of them. To them, this is a huge crowd!

Thank the Lord for moving on our behalf this past week. It looks like a land deal is moving forward. I really can’t tell any of the details at this point, because it has not been completed, but everyone who is a part of it here is excited. The door seems to be opening up. This deal could put us on a fast track (which could be a year) to getting a building. We are working on our part of the deal being 3 acres. That would give us enough room to grow for a good while. We would start with a Family Life Center phase first—with offices, kitchen, and Sunday School rooms. Then when we outgrow the gym, we would add a Sanctuary onto that building.

We will add several activities to the church calendar starting this month:

• Youth - every 3 weeks on a Saturday, starting January 20th. They will still attend youth at the mother church each Friday.
• Men's Prayer and Breakfast - the last Saturday of the month at 8am. We will meet for a time of prayer and then eat breakfast together at the restaurant next to our church.
• Ladies - the first Tuesday of the month will be a special time for the ladies and there is a sewing class starting that will be taught by Sheree Robertson.

Excitement is in the air! Continue to pray with us about the land and that God would open the doors for Bible Studies soon.

Presbyopia

Once we are in our 40's, the lenses within our eyes begin to harden and lose their elasticity—making it difficult to focus on objects close up.

This is a natural condition called presbyopia. Whether you've worn glasses before or not, you'll start noticing the need for them now. First to help you read, and eventually for distances a bit further away.

So, here is a 6th item that none of you know about me.....
Much to my disgust and to some of your delight (I'm sure),
I have joined the ranks of those attacked by presbyopia!

As some of you can attest, there comes a time when
the print becomes so small and blurry that you just don't care
what anyone thinks— you must have help.

I don't need them yet to preach and for that I am thankful -
and thankful for computers that can print bigger fonts
as you need it! These new glasses are just for reading,
so you may never see me with them on.
Just thought some of you would enjoy the great news!
I am now old.

Five Things You (may not) Know About Me - Karla

I should have known I would get "tagged" somewhere in all this hullaballoo! Thanks Bro. Ryan for getting this started - LOL! I have wracked my brain - but I'm a pretty transparent person, so there's not much people don't know about me - I'll just give it my best shot.

#1: I was in danger of getting kicked out of JCM (Jackson College of Ministries) at one time. Now, mind you, it was not originally my fault - but I'll leave out the name of the perpetrator. We were late for curfew, so instead of walking in the door and facing consequences for being late, two of us decided to climb through a window so as not to get caught. Well, the rules plainly stated if you climb in or out of a window that is grounds for immediate dismissal! Being late would have been better than climbing through the window to hide. Needless to say - we weren't able to climb through our own window, so we had to somehow make it down the hall to our room. On the way, we came face to face with the dorm supervisor who turned us in to Bro. Poe. He made me call my dad, we couldn't sing in the choir that Sunday, all kinds of stuff. But... we didn't get kicked out because it was our first offense! The person whose fault it was - knew better - she just marched into the hallway and straight to her room - never getting caught (maybe she had more experience than I)!!

#2: I CAN COOK!! For some of you this will come as a shock! Please, hold it together now. I know we used to eat out ALL the time, but it had nothing to do with my ability to cook. It had everything to do with a lack of organization and a busy schedule. After moving and being in a different "earnings bracket", we are learning to eat at home and thoroughly enjoying it. (Sharon might argue the point about me being able to cook - since I still call her often when I have a question about something - LOL)

#3: When I was a freshman in high school, I had surgery on my mouth. I had worn braces with headgear and all for quite some time, but that didn't fix all the problems, so they had to resort to surgery. The doctor had to split the roof of my mouth and widen it (stop laughing - it was too small!), then cut my chin kind of like a drawer and slide it forward (I had a pretty flat chin before) and there was something else, but I can't remember what it was. My mouth was wired shut for five weeks - I lost 30 lbs. (maybe I should try that again). I had to eat everything through a straw - even Christmas dinner (don't even ask!). Everything had to be liquified. The night before my surgery, they took me through the hospital to show me where everything was and where I would be. As they were explaining it all, I got extremely light-headed and had to sit down in the floor then be taken back to my room in a wheelchair. It was some kind of ordeal to say the least! I was in ICU for 24 hours after the surgery - with tubes through my nose and everything. Oh yeah! And when they unwired my mouth 5 weeks later (it was supposed to be 6-8 weeks), my mom was so shocked when I walked out of the doctors office, she told me not to talk. She thought my jaw might come apart or something! LOL!

#4: When I was in elementary school (probably 1st or 2nd grade), I was doing math homework one night and my brother-in-law, Wendell, asked me if we were at multiplication tables yet. I looked up at him and quipped, "No, we're still at our desks!" I had no idea what a multiplication table was. They love that story - everyone thought I was just the cutest and smartest kid! LOL! Another time, probably around 3rd grade, my dad was telling a math problem/joke to some preachers sitting around our dining room table. I was just quietly listening. They all started pulling out pens and paper to try to figure it out. Out of nowhere I piped up and said, "Daddy, isn't it _______?" I was right and they all looked at me dumbfounded while my dad laughed.

#5: The first time I met my husband, he was a mummy! It was at a church "halloween" party and they were all dressed up like Bible characters. He came as Lazarus. That was about four years before I actually FELL in love with him. When I say fell - I mean FELL!! We had gone out a few times through those years and kept in contact but there was nothing serious going on. I went off to Christian Life College in Stockton, CA, then to JCM in Jackson, MS. It was while I was going to school at JCM that I fell in love. I drove from Jackson to Wichita Falls (stopping in Dallas to pick up Sharon) to see the Easter drama, "Watch the Lamb". Gene was the character telling the story. At the very beginning, when he walked through the door holding the hands of two children, I grabbed Sharons hand and gasped. My dad was two or three people down from me - he leaned over to my mom and said, "Karla just fell in love." He couldn't have been more right. It was like a lightning bolt from heaven!! That was in March or April of 1988 - we were engaged in August and married by February, 1989. This year we celebrate 18 years!!! I may not believe in "love at first sight" but I do believe love can hit you out of nowhere and it's the most wonderful thing in the world!!!!

Okay - well, some of you will have known these things - to others it will be news. I hope you learned something you didn't know. Now... I'm "tagging" BarbaraOuellette and James&CarmenCain and KatieBooker. Y'all better answer quickly, so we can learn something new about you!

Interesting Bible Reading Material

I recently received an email that I found very interesting about Bible reading. It stated that:

"the average person in the US watches TV about 4 hours per day. How different would this world be if instead each person read the Bible each day for a considerable amount of time? There is no substitute for people reading the Bible themselves. The Holy Spirit will speak to people as they read. I am challenging you to read the Bible daily and to influence those you know to do likewise. Perhaps you could challenge your neighbors and unchurched friends to read and have weekly small groups to discuss what they have read."

Since many people start a Bible reading program at the beginning of the year, I thought you might be interested in looking at some different tools. Bro. Arlo Moehlenpah, a teacher at Christian Life College when my wife attended, has a website with yearly Bible reading schedules for the following:

• New Testament
• Old Testament Part 1 (Genesis-Esther)
• Old Testament Part 2 (Job-Malachi)
• or the entire Bible (2007 BREAD)

He says that a person needs approximately 15 minutes per day to read the entire Bible through in one year. There is also a 90 Day Reading Schedule for the Entire Bible. Depending on your reading speed, you can complete the Bible in 90 days by reading 45 minutes to one hour per day! He recommends that if you take this challenge you might want to read it in a modern English version. You can even listen to some versions being read in English and other languages at BibleGateway.com: a searchable online Bible in over 50 versions and 35 languages.

You can also test how much you have learned from your Bible reading on the Doing Good website. It is called Bible Quizzes. There is at least one quiz for every book of the Bible and quizzes from beginner to advanced levels on people, geography, and numerals of the Bible.

Let's take the challenge to increase our intake of the Word. We need it more than ever!

Five Things You Don't Know About Me

How can I ever thank Don Ryan enough for his thoughtfulness to include me in the latest "You're It!" marathon. Many of you reading this blog know everything about me, but here's a try:

1— I took 7 years of piano lessons in my childhood and cannot read music today! I hated reading the notes, so I pleaded to just learn the chords used in church. So, I have been known to play for a choir with music in front of me, without having any idea what all the lines and notes are. I just use the chords printed above all that junk!

2— At my graduation from High School, we had tongues and interpretation. Of course, I WAS attending our church school. The Lord told us, in short, that He is a lighthouse on the stormy sea of life and if we would follow Him, He would lead us to great things. I was valedictorian of my senior class of 4! I also had to give the obligatory valedictory oratory that night.

3— My hair is naturally bright red. I started dyeing it brown as I became a teenager to avoid the teasing from others. Not really - but it was much more red as a child and the freckles were very pronounced! I had adults, many times, stop me in stores to ask, "Where did you get those freckles from?" It really bothered me, but my Mom told me to tell them, " I swallowed a dollar and broke out in pennies!" It seemed to work. The outrageous question got an equally crazy response. My nickname was "Spot" at one time in my teenage years because of the sun spots. I prayed earnestly as a child that my hair would get darker and that the freckles would go away. God has answered my prayer, although my hair seems to be getting LIGHTER these days.

4— I have a crushed vertebrae in my back due to a car wreck I was in when I was 15 years old. As the truck rolled, I was thrown in front of it and the edge of the vehicle rolled over my back. I usually have no problems with it - except when I gain a little extra weight. It is a good deterrent to weight gain! Those who have known me for a while know that my head was scalped by a wrought iron mailbox stand in that wreck also. I now have a foot-long scar from my forehead to the back of my head. Thank the Lord that my hair has only turned lighter and not let go completely - another one of my prayers answered!

5— I once stepped on a snake, barefooted! I was about 10-years-old. My Dad and Mom were building a home in the country and I went running off the foundation into the grass. I felt something very cold and soft under my feet and looked down to see a bull snake about two inches in diameter. It scared me to death. I had no idea at the time what kind of snake it was. It was standing up and hissing! I went running back onto the cement, screaming, "It's a snake, It's a SNAKE. IT'S A SNAKE!!!" Quite an experience and I'm not looking to try that one again.

Now the plague must be passed on! I will gladly tag: my sis-in-law's, Linda Elms and Ronda Hurst, my cousin, Carla Clark, and friends, Lynn Dutton and Joseph Ouellette. Have a blast! You are IT and I will be checking your blogs to see if you cooperate. You can then pass the plague on to other 'friends' of ours.

Holley-day Pictures

We first enjoyed our own family Christmas in Pflugerville.

The boys and Cookie always pose in front of the tree before gifts are opened—

a picture that we take every year!
Karla gets very excited and makes it a lot of fun.
I don't get real excited and have been accused of being boring.

Then, we headed to Wichita Falls to have Christmas with our family there.
We were blessed to receive a MacBook laptop to help in our church and personally.
I put on my best smile - and it was real (if you are wondering)!

Chad enjoyed getting to see his old friends and playing basketball with them.

Cameron enjoyed the new XBox 360 that they received from Mom and Dad.
They were very excited, especially since all they really got from us was clothes!

I caught a picture of Mom and of Dad in there relaxing activities!

We had a great time and didn't even get a picture from Christmas dinner at the Elms'.
I think we were so excited about eating and visiting, that it didn't enter our mind!
..............ON TO THE NEW YEAR!