An eventful week.

Last weekend, Bro. Crawford's 82-year-old mother visited us in service and really got a blessing. She then had a mild heart-attack that evening and ended up in the hospital. She was baptized in Jesus Name only two years ago. (Bro. Crawford is the one who received the Holy Ghost in the Haney's church 17 years ago and just moved to Austin this past year. He showed his mother Oneness and baptism in Jesus' Name.) When I walked into her room this Monday, she stuck out her arms and said - "OOO - there's my Reverend - you come on over here and give me a hug!" She kissed me on the cheek. It was so sweet. She told the nurse, "You better go to this man's church. The Lord is moving there!"

Then this Wednesday when I went in, Bro. Crawford was there and his sister. We began to pray together and God moved into that room! The sister raised her hands and began to weep.

Bro. and Sis. Jimmy Cash, from Wichita Falls, surprised us this morning and just walked in the door for Sunday School! It was great to see them. I was teaching on being faithful even when the newness of living for God has worn off and they were a great example of that! Talk about faithful people...

The Lord moved this morning in the singing. One of the ladies came down to the altar during singing and an others began to dance and jump!! It was fun.

We have several things planned this week:
Denny and Mary Ploch, Children's Ministers for Bro. Terry Black in Memphis, TN are in town at the Bernard's and they are coming over to our house Monday night for food and fellowship. We got to be good friends through all the Sunday School activities over the years. That will be fun!

Our Harvest Fellowship will be this Friday night. Everyone is coming to our house for a good casual time together. The ping-pong table will be set up and the boys will probably play basketball. The game "Catch Phrase" is always a good one to play - everybody can participate.

A Wednesday Night Oasis

It was just another simple Wednesday. I am teaching a series on Spiritual Growth and Maturity. This week's lesson was on "The Gifts that Edify." Just as I was tying it all together and ending, a lady walks in the back door and sits down. She listened very intently as I talked about how our church should be a place that we can be molded and made into His image. We should all strive to make this a place of love and respect. My wife began to sing, "Serving God is beautiful, serving the King of Kings, I serve Him because I love Him, you see - Serving God is beautiful to me." This lady began to weep. I had everyone reach to someone and begin praying...and the Spirit swept in. I then went back and prayed for her. She began to shake under the power of God and then began to speak in tongues. After a while of worship, she began to tell me that she had been filled with the Holy Ghost some time ago, but had slipped into sin. She said, "I don't know how I really got here...I just needed to find God...my Grandmother (the one who raised me) is at death's door and I just needed to find God...and thank God, He was here! I came from Georgetown and had no idea where to go, but I called my cousin, Kevin Logan, (the man who started coming a couple weeks ago) and He said I could find God here." She barely made it before we would have been gone! But, thank God, even though so many were out tonight - He was there.

Chad Plays Drums!

We enjoyed music today like we haven't had since being here! It was Chad's first time to play the drums in service and he did awesome. It is one of those things that adds so much to the song service. His playing was not a distraction, it just flowed. We are so glad. You never know if someone is really going to be able to keep the beat going steady. He will improve and add more tricks as his lessons progress.


We really were not going to start him playing in church yet, but... Karla and I were practicing at home Saturday and asked Chad to join in on drums. He did so well that we loaded them in the car and set them up before our praise group practice. These pictures are of our practice on Saturday.

The older ladies were so excited this morning that he had brought his drums and were so proud of the good job he did. It was cute. I thanked him and also Jake Robertson (the 13-yr-old I talked about in my post about outreach) before my message. And when I got through, Sis. Faye started pointing at Cameron's back, not wanting me to leave him out! They think the world of all these teens and are so happy to have young people around.

Jake took over the overhead projector with the songs and announcements from Chad. To the left is Jake's picture! He is holding our transparency file. He was really excited to be used.

We had two more first time visitors today! One of them is from Bryan, TX. We didn't end up pastoring in Bryan/College Station, but this is the second week in a row that we have had a visitor from there! One of the ladies in our church received confirmation from her doctor this week that she has no more cancer! Needless to say, she was ecstatic and the church rejoiced with her!!! The service was solid, Apostolic and visited by God - you can't ask for more!

I was able to attend the South Texas Men's Conference on Friday night and Saturday morning. It really was a good meeting. It was held at Bro. Rex Johnson's church and Bro. Gary Legg, the South Dakota District Superintendent, spoke. Bro. Johnson is the Men's Ministry Director for our district. Then on Saturday night, our family attended a concert of The Martin's at Hyde Park Baptist Church. Their singing is fantastic and they had fun!

We are going to a "Texas Alliance for Life" Benefit Dinner on Tuesday night with Rod & Jan Madden, along with Rodney & Stacie Shaw. It should be interesting.

Tonight I got to pray with a new guy, at the "big" church, who has been backslidden for many years and has recently gotten out of prison. He was so broken and wanting to start his life over. I had to spend a minute afterwards just thanking God for His keeping power in my life. Where would I be without Him? I know I wouldn't be watching my family be used of God and seeing Him build a body of the redeemed in Pflugerville! I am so blessed and may I never forget it.

Missing You

A lady in our church sent us an email today describing a card she had bought. I just had to share it with you all - this is how I feel.

The card has a picture of a little girl and her dog on the front and says, "Without you here I cannot even eat." On the inside it says, "Okay, I'm just flat out lying! But I really do miss you!" LOL!!!

How cute and true is that? Just had to share it with you all.

First Baptism!

We were happy today to baptize Heather Anderson in Jesus Name! She lives in Austin, but is attending Texas A&M in College Station. She is the daughter of Bro. Doug Boyd in Wichita Falls. Bro. Doug has been talking to her for a long time about making this step and she was definitely ready to do it today! She and her boyfriend, Daniel Renfro, attended church this morning. (We met them both several times in Wichita Falls when they would come to visit.) I preached on "The Call of the Soul" today and, after service, Heather told me that she has definitely been hearing that the last couple months. They followed us to the Bernard's church for her to be baptized. When we were walking in to the church, Daniel said, "Bernard....that name is so familiar. I think my dad knows him." Come to find out, Daniel's dad was a Methodist pastor in Austin who met with Bro. Bernard over coffee or lunch for two years or so. Bro. Bernard came in to the sanctuary while I baptized Heather and told Daniel that he remembers Bro. Renfro being filled with the Holy Spirit. Also, his dad began to baptize people in Jesus Name. Tonight in service, Bro. Bernard mentioned about the baptism and commented on how God orchestrates things. For me to know Heather's dad and him to know Daniel's dad - God just knows how to put it all together! I also had a young man come up to me tonight that has been friends with Daniel from middle school into college. He knows Heather, also! She will be back for Christmas break for the month of December and will be attending our church. Keep her in your prayers.

Heather and Daniel bring us to 9 brand new guests this week! We had a total of 19 in attendance today. We had dancing in the service...it felt good.

We reached to about 150 homes yesterday. We had a good response at most houses. At one house in particular, Jake Robertson (13-years-old) and I met this man who was very interested. He evidently runs a pest control business because his truck was in the driveway. He used to be Catholic, but he has come to realize that much of that religion is rituals and so on. We had talked very openly for about 5 minutes when Jake speaks up. He said, "So, I have a question for you. If you start to come regularly to our church, will we get a discount on pest control?" I said, "JAKE!!" and the guy started laughing. He said, "Well, I suppose I could work something out! This kid must have a good business head on his shoulders!!" Out of the mouth of teens! It was quite an ice-breaker. We got shooed away at another house and Jake told me "That doesn't feel good." So goes outreach - some will listen and some will not. We are just called to do our part.

We had 5 ladies and two guests attend a Ladies Meeting yesterday at the Stephens church in South Austin. Cameron went to play the bass. They had a great time! Sis. Rhonda Cloud brought her friend and the friend's daughter. She said that the friend was touched by the service. God is also working in her life.

We will have our first church fellowship at our house on November 3rd. So, I will have to get to painting again! The church people are excited. More later.....

Quick Update

We had ANOTHER visitor walk into church tonight!! She came in just before we started. Gene talked to her after service - she said she goes to a different church in Pflugerville, but she's seen our sign several times and thought she'd check us out tonight! So awesome!!

Also, the couple that came in Sunday was back again tonight. She is going with us to a sectional ladies service on Saturday.

God is working in Pflugerville!!!!!

4 VISITORS!

We were so excited yesterday as visitors began to pour into our church! First, the daughter and granddaughter of Sis. Crawford's came in during prayer. We started Sunday School and when I was wrapping up the lesson, a couple came in. We all introduced ourselves between SS and service. We found out that they have the Holy Ghost and have not been attending anywhere recently. Someone told them about our church and they came! They were really touched and in the altar after the message. We heard one of our older ladies tell them, "We need you!" And another lady asked them, "You are going to be regulars, aren't you - we need you to be regulars!" They should have felt welcomed!

Also, Sis. Crawford's daughter lives in Magnolia and a few weeks ago, Sis. Crawford went to visit and took them to the Wehrle's church. Traci, the daughter has gone back since then!

We had no idea that any of these were coming - but I asked God Saturday night to please let us see some new faces. And there they were.....

We have Outreach this Saturday and our ladies are going to a Sectional Ladies Meeting at Bro. Stephens church. Dedie Cooley is the speaker.

Happy Birthday to Cameron....and Chad....

Well - on October 10th, Cameron will be 15! So, today, we went to Guitar Center and purchased him a new bass. This is one that he has been eyeing since we moved here. It is a gift from Grandpa, Grandma and us. He got a tuner and a hard carrying case, also. You will have to email him to get the particulars about it. He is very excited and can't wait to play it in church Sunday!

Happy Birthday to Chad...
Chad got a drum throne - finally! The other stool almost fell over every time he sat on it. He will start drum lessons at the Pfluger-Rock School of Music on Mondays (a belated birthday gift). He will be taking lessons from Mark Ramsey, who is also a worship leader at Red River Church of Austin. So - Chad is excited to continue learning! He didn't want to take a picture. He said he wanted to wait until he got his new drums! He definitely has faith...

Amish Sightings

On Monday of this week, the day of the Amish School Shooting in Pennsylvania, Karla and I were driving the Ohio countryside in search of their communities. We found "the largest Amish settlement in the world" in Berlin, OH

We arrived in town when the little schools were letting out for the day. The children were riding away from the school in little two-seat carts pulled by miniature horses! It was really cool. We didn't take a picture of that - they were too close and were giving us the evil eye!

It was really neat to see their way of life. I didn't say that I understood it, but it was interesting! We saw one girl using a phone in a tiny building (like an outhouse) near the road. I guess they can't have a phone in the house, but can have one at the street?!? It was very pretty country and their houses were very well taken care of.

We were in a downtown area when a train came through. Everyone had to stop, including a horse and buggy. The man was out of the buggy holding onto the horse. His wife and two girls were still sitting in it and looking a little frightened! The little girls were covered completely with black scarves and clothes. The horse was NOT liking the train being so close. After the train went by, we found out that they were headed to the grocery store. It was a normal store with cars in the parking lot --- and horse drawn buggies. The bank really looked funny with horses out front!

I pray that these people come to see Truth. They definitely have the modesty down. But they looked so unhappy.

Holley Update

Well, it's General Conference time! Gene and I will be heading out EARLY Tuesday morning. Our plane leaves at 7:00, so we will have to leave the house about 5:00. I'm looking forward to conference. I'm sure it will be a good one.

We were in Quitman Friday night and Saturday for the Kid's Day. It turned out very good. Keith and Carla really have it together! Their church was wonderful in doing the things that needed to be done to make this a successful endeavor. Our hat is off to them and the work they are doing there.

We got to see and visit with the Prince's while we were there. That was great! On our way home we stopped by to see their home - it is beautiful!! We are very happy for them and excited to see what God is going to do in Bullard.

Mom and Dad came in Friday before we left for Quitman. They will be here through General Conference to take care of the boys and Cookie. It's always good to see them and have them here with us.

We had a really good service this morning. Just a great presence of God in the place. Tonight we were at Bro. Bernard's for service. All of our people except one were there with us tonight. It was a communion service and we wanted our church to take part in that. This was a very special and sweet time together. God is moving and we know we will see new one's born into the Kingdom in the near future.

Cameron and Chad are doing great. They are a huge asset to our church. Cameron helps me tremendously by playing the bass, and Chad is helping in many areas (and will be helping before too much longer on drums). We are very proud of them and the way they have adjusted to a new way of life.

Just wanted to send out an update of things that are happening around here. We will be having our second outreach day on October 7. Pray that God will send us to homes where people are hungry for more of God!!

I know there are several of our "home folks" that our keeping up with us here - feel free to say hello and make a comment back to us. We love you all and miss you! Come see us sometime!!