This weekend I spoke at a Men’s Retreat in Houston Texas.¬† On Saturday night I thought I need to get my suit out of the bag and check it before Sunday morning.¬† This suit which had been dry cleaned and hanging in my closet for a month, had been packed neatly for travel.¬† The jacket had traveled well and I began to examine the pants…O NO!! To my horror the pants were not my suit pants..They might have fit me in the 8th grade.¬† What do I do now??¬† All of my travel gear was shorts and casual shirts, and it was 11:30p.m. There is no Men’s Warehouse open @ this hour??¬† I pictured preaching the Sermon ” The Setup” in a pair of shorts and a suit jacket, and my black socks jacked up as far as I could pull them..WHAT A SIGHT!! The dry cleaners made a mistake and I would pay!!¬† Wait a minute I remembered at the last minute Maryanne encouraged me to take a pair of black dress pants just in case..WHEW!! Praise God for a wise woman!!

lIFE SOMETIMES FEEL SO SCATTERED ,FRAYED, OR JUST PLAIN PULLED APART.¬† i REALIZE THAT SO OFTEN WE ARE LEFT LOOKING @ PIECES OF A PUZZLE SAYING TO OURSELVES WHAT NOW??¬† hOW OFTEN DO WE FEEL brOKEn?¬† lIKE NOTHING MAKES SENSE OR GOD WHERE ARE YOU IN THIS??¬† BROKEN LIVES, DREAMS, HOPES, PLANS…EVEN OUR HEART CAN BREAK.¬† i KNOW MOST OF US CAN SING SILLY, SAPPY SONGS ABOUT THE HEART.¬† SONGS LIKE ” ACHEY BREAKY HEART ” What about the line from the song in God’s Word Psalm 34:18 ” The Lord is near the broken hearted ..” What a promise for all of us …HE is right there!! Let Him put the puzzle back together..HE is the Master of Restoration.

WHAT A WEEK @ CROCODILE DOCK VBS!!!¬† AVERAGE ATTENDANCE 268 KIDS…HIGH ATTENDANCE NIGHT 290…OVER 2000 JUICE BOXES CONSUMED…1000 BOTTLES OF H2O ….71 CHILDREN PRAYED TO INVITE CHRIST INTO THEIR LIFE!! THE BAND ROCKED EVERY NIGHT…IT WAS A BAYOU BASH!!!¬† WE HAD BETWEEN 800-900 @ OUR FRIDAY NIGHT BLOCK PARTY…EVERY ONE I TALKED TO SAID IT WAS THE BEST VBS EVER…… THE GIRLS BEAT THE BOYS IN THE PENNY OFFERING………. THEREFORE I WAS THE LOSER AND GOT TARRED & FEATHERED….LOOKED LIKE A BIG MULTI COLORED ROOSTER. I THINK WE ALL NEED SLEEP, SOME BEN-GAY, AND TYLENOL AND THEN..BRING ON NEXT YEAR’S VBS!!!!!!!!!!

I don’t know if your into any type of aerobic exercise or not??¬† I will tell you i will put the aerobic exercise of VBS up against any Jazzecise, Zumba, Spinning, or Pilates class.¬† That’s right …. Try singing and dancing while leading 270 kids in a 40 minute high energy opening for VBS.¬† I literally thought i was going to pass out on stage at one point.¬† Here we go again in less than 2 hours…. o wowee … i need an IV !!!!

Well it is official..Death comes in three’s.¬† This week our world has seen the “King” of Pop, the “Queen” of Pinups, and the “Joker” of P.M. do what happens when life is over.¬† Michael Jackson, Farah Fawcett, and Ed McMahon have left this earth.¬† They have made their mark, left their legacy, and cast their spell on all who followed and admired them.¬† Through song and dance, beauty called “angelic”, and hearty laughter as a side man for the Tonight Show we see what has been left.¬† Each of these who used Hollywood as a stage showed us what an actor can accomplish…..They can act in a Show!!¬† But what is Shown outside of this life?? A song or dance won’t get you a ticket to heaven.¬† Beauty is only skin deep, and flashing those pearly whites won’t open the pearly gates.¬† Laughter is a response to something deemed funny, yet it is not the key to unlock the door to eternal joy.¬† When God calls you from this life what is real will be shown!!¬† King, Queen, Joker…Pretty Good Hand!!…… But what about the ACE ???¬† This is always the Trump!!¬† You can gain the whole world, and lose your own soul… what can you give in exchange for that??¬† Thankyou Jesus for being the One to take my sin, and ACE my life for me!!¬† I am living daily as a trophy of grace, abiding in the abundant life, that God The Father has given to me through His Son ..He is my Lord and Savior!! , He is Jesus Christ The Bright and Morning Star.. and He has healed me and given me Joy so that I can live and laugh with purpose. He is greater than any king of pop…He is THE KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was a Monday 18 years ago….I remember it quite well.¬† For me I was finishing up my college career..What a busy day ..Calculus Test & Organic Chemistry Test ..on the same day!!! That was the day our family rejoiced in ………the day that my niece Kailah graduated into this big unknown world.¬† She was the first grandchild in the family I was an uncle for the first time, and Trent & Jodi became parents.

Fast forward to last night …………………. TIME FLY’S………………. It was a Monday, and that little baby who brought so much joy to the Ferrell family walked across the stage and graduated again into this big unknown world!!!

Sometimes the best times in life are when you do something without prior plans.¬† I asked Luke on Monday morning if he wanted to go to the Red’s game?? I know ..stupid question for a 10 year old who loves sports of all sorts.¬† So off we went..Father and son just us!!¬† We arrived early payed $5 to park and walked along the river towards the ballpark.¬† After purchasing our tickets we found our seats and settled in for 5 1/2 hours of baseball.¬† No extra innings just a 2 hour rain delay.¬† During the delay we were asked to stand and face the flag for a moment of silence to honor those who payed the highest price.¬† It was amazing to hear the restless come to a quiet rest.

We found the only place in the ballpark that sells ice cream and hot dogs for $1.. I was excited.  We settled back into our seats watched the Reds win, and walked away happy!! What was the most memorable thing about the day you ask??  Hearing Luke say he loved me ( @ least 3 times ) and taking the long walk back to the car hand in hand!!  This has truly been a Memorial Day.

What is most of our time spent on these days??¬† Would you agree that we expend a lot of our energies on the circumstances that we face right now… What is your stance ( position ) on the circumstances you are facing right now ?? What is going on around us can quickly monopolize what is going on inside of us… I realize today that what is going on around us ( circumstances ) is not as powerful as what is going on above us!! Circumstances are temporal… Heaven is eternal !!¬†¬†¬† Take Heart !!

WOW WHAT A WEEKEND!!!¬† HANDS & FEET WAS THE BEST EVER!! BERACHAH WE HAVE MUCH TO BE PROUD OF.¬† THANKYOU GOD FOR ALLOWING US ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE YOU AS WE SERVE OTHERS!! EVERYONE CHECK OUT THE MIDDLETOWN JOURNAL ON LINE ( MAY 4TH ) TO SEE THE PICTURES AND READ THE STORY ABOUT BARB REEVES.¬† THANKYOU TO EVERYONE WHO PLAYED A PART FINANCIALLY, PHYSICALLY, OR PRAYERFULLY………… TO LOVE IS TO SERVE!!